1890's 16" Western Electric Bipolar Desk Fan.  In my opinion, the late 1890's early 1900's produced some of the most beautiful electric fans.  This was a period where the transition from an electric utility motor pared with a blade was considered a fan to motors and blade combinations designed to be used solely as a desk or wall mounted fan.  Fans as we know them today really started to take shape around this period.  The Western Electric Bipolar is a staple for any serious fan collectors collection.  The 16" version of this model is my favorite.  It has a large blade and guard in comparison to the base and motor but on low speed it is the perfect fan to use in a large room as it creates a nice gently breeze.  I have run this fan for hours here at the shop without issue, it is a joy to have something from the 1890's running to circulate the air.  The fan runs excellent on 3 speeds and is super smooth.  Everything on the fan appears original finish except the blade, it has a blued hue to it and may have come from an advanced aging process.  What a wonderful piece of history that can still be in use today without issue.  This is a Direct Current fan and would need to be run through a bridge rectifier.