This article analyzes the trajectory of Argemiro Augusto da Silva, a 19th century inventor who was born in the state of Alagoas, in the Northeast of Brazil. The originality of Argemiro's research was the fact that he aimed at the use of local fibers to produce the filaments of his electric lamps and also because he was away from both, the centers of concentration of scientific and technological knowledge of the Brazilian Empire and also the networks of international discussion and electricity production. The oficial presentation of his electric lamp coincides in time with the increase of public opinion pressure in Brazil for the use of electricity for artificial lighting in public spaces.
incandescent lamps; history of science
