Leclanché battery

Leclanche battery

The Leclanché battery was introduced by Georges Leclanché (1839-1882) in France in 1868. This example was made by the London firm of Woodhouse and Rawson in 1887. Leclanché batteries in glass jars very much like this remained on sale until the 1960s. They were use at different times for telephones, electric bells and radio receivers. The Leclanché battery contains a liquid, but it was the fore-runner of the dry batteries used throughout most of the 20th century. They used the same components but the liquid was made into a paste and the battery was put into a sealed case.