Madrid, Spain. The Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun) illuminated by electric light. To celebrate the wedding of King Alfonso XII to María de las Mercedes, the city's first electric lights were inaugurated on 23 January 1878. Street lamps with electric arcs illuminated the street at the same time gas lighting was in use. Drawing from life by Pellicer. Engraving by Arturo Carretero (1852-1903). La Ilustración Española y Americana (The Spanish and American Illustration), 1878.

---

Size: 4488px × 3152px
Photo credit: © Prisma Archivo / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 19, 19th, 23, 1878, age, alfonso, american, americana, animal, arc, artificial, arturo, capital, carretero, carriage, century, city, coachman, cobblestone, contemporary, del, discharge, dog, downtown, drawn, electric, electrical, electricity, electrification, electrify, engraving, environment, española, gate, history, horse, horse-drawn, horses, illuminate, illuminated, illumination, illustration, ilustracion, january, la, lamp, lamppost, lantern, lanterns, light, lighting, lights, madrid, madrilenians, night, nineteenth, pavement, pellicer, people, period, post, public, puerta, rail, rails, reign, society, sol, spain, spanish, square, stone, street, streetlight, sun, technology, traction, tram, transport, winter, xii, xix