from an ad in Washington Post, May 8, 1934

Announcing the Electric Institute of Washington

The Electric Institute of Washington has been formed by leading electrical manufacturers, wholesalers, contractors and retailers of this city and its metropolitan area, for the purpose of bringing greater information to the public concerning the dependability, durability, and low cost of operation of electrical appliances in the home, office, workshop, and wherever human hands have work to do.

The Institute will have its headquarters in the Potomac Electric Power Company's Building at 10th and E Streets, N.W., with exhibit space for electrical appliances on the first floor in the show rooms formerly occupied by the Potomac Electric Appliance Company. ...

The Electric Institute will maintain constant exhibits of various appliances, demonstrating their use and operating costs under the low electric rates of Washington. Each month, the display floor will be given over to a certain group to properly dramatize the manifold uses of some particular appliance. In May, Electric Refrigeration will be featured. During June, an all-embracing exhibit of the smaller appliances which make such acceptable and useful gifts to the June bride. Also for the bride of June, a wonderful display of laundry and cleaning equipment. In successive exhibits, Electric Cookery, Electric Heating, Air Conditioning, and other appliances which bring comfort, health, and convenience into the home for such low cost, will be featured.

The man on the ground is receiving the Holger Nielsen method of prone pressure artificial respiration, a precursor of mouth-to-mouth and CPR. The group of three are using a blanket-lift-and-carry method which probably has a standard Red Cross name.

Hey, is there a shadowy figure watching the air raid drill from The Great Beyond? (I know it's early and I haven't had that second cup of coffee that fires my synapses...but is there a mustachioed fellow reflected in the directory who is not in the photo?)

Edison?

Think of the primo target this would have been in an air raid. I can see the concern at the time.

The Potomac Electric Power Co. Building is still there @ 10th and E streets (to the upper left of intersection). I knew I've seen vintage photos of the outside before and probably passed it never knowing... seems like it still sports a flag on the roof!

I wonder what the Edison Room was? Where they had cocktails after work? A museum or electricity display?

(And I love how there's not "Soliciting, Peddling, Collecting, or Begging" allowed!)

The man on the ground looks like he's getting a massage with a towel over him.

Seriously. Gold. I love how the lady being cradled by her three co-workers looks as serene as a babe in her mother's arms! (If my co-workers snuggled me chest-high in a blanket, I'd be counting the seconds until they lost interest in the drill & dropped me like a rock.) BTW, this pic would graduate to *pure platinum* if I could read that directory ...