This is a variation of the very rare Edison "ironclad" fan. The earliest style, seen HERE, had a disc commutator enclosed behind a glass-covered back. That proved to be inefficient and awkward, so the motor and castings were redesigned to use a conventional cylindrical commutator exposed on the back of the fan.

Very small in size, the blades measure only 7" in diameter. Unlike the earlier model, this version had bosses added to the front of the casting to support a wire cage to protect the blades. Later Edison ironclad fans had a more square-shaped cage with fancy wires. The Edison-Lalande "Q" cells used for the earlier ironclad fan was replaced by the very tall type S batteries, as were used with the larger Edison fans. The size and weight of the original battery set is quite a contrast to the diminutive scale of the fan itself.

This is the earliest of the open-back ironclad fans, still retaining a brass hook on the top, allowing the base to be removed and the fan hung from a bracket. Shortly afterward this feature was removed, though the (undrilled) raised boss is still seen on the later motor castings.