Grove battery comprising five cells in a wooden tray, 1895.

Grove battery made by Elliott Bros. The Grove battery was originally invented by the British physics professor William Robert Grove (1811-1896), who used his platinum-zinc batteries to produce electric light during a lecture at the London Institution in the 1840s. In addition to platinum and zinc, the battery included two fluids, one in a porous cell surrounded by the other. Grove batteries were used in the United States of America for telegraphic purposes for many years.