Elkins, Thomas
1818-1900 · Contribution: 1872 / 1879 / 1870
Improved chamber-commode (multi-function furniture) and an improved refrigerating apparatus using evaporative water cooling; also a combined dining/ironing table and quilting frame
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
Early Black patentee whose refrigerating apparatus preserved food (and corpses, aiding public health); chamber-commode prefigured combined household furniture.
Life & background
African-American dentist, pharmacist, surgeon, and abolitionist in Albany, NY; active in the Underground Railroad; medical examiner for the 54th/55th Massachusetts regiments. Born 1818, died Aug 10, 1900.
Sources
- U.S. patent record; BlackPast.org
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