Description:

A large, framed lithograph of a painting which was commissioned for Mr. Charles M. Schwab. Warmly and lavishly inscribed by John Alfred Brashear to his esteemed friend, Dr. John William Draper. Signed and dated by Brashear as "John Alfred Brashear, Nov 7th, 1916". One small bit of paper loss located mid image, on Brashear's shirt, with additional small bits of surface paper loss to the white margin around the image. Very tiny corner chip to upper left corner. The inscription is fully unaffected and is fully legible. Presented in a rustic wood frame to a finished size of 18" x 22.5". A wonderful piece inscribed by John Brashear to his peer, contemporary, and dear friend Dr. John William Draper. Two peas in a pod, they both shared similar pursuits and respected each other’s research in the field of astronomy. Brashear, with little financial means to purchase a telescope, pursued his love for astronomy at night. In his free time in 1861 he built his own workshop and then proceed to build his own refractor. Starting in 1880, he dedicated his time to manufacturing astronomical as well as scientific instruments, and performed various experiments. He developed an improved silvering method, which would become the standard for coating the first surface mirrors (known as the "Brashear Process") until vacuum metalizing began replacing it in 1932. Brashear patented few instruments and never patented his techniques, yet he founded "John A. Brashear Co." with his son-in-law and partner, James Brown McDowell (now a division of L-3 Communications, and still based in Pittsburgh, PA). His instruments gained worldwide respect. Optical elements and instruments of precision produced by John Brashear were purchased for their quality by almost every important observatory in the world. Some are still in use today. In turn, Dr. John Draper is credited with producing the first clear photograph of a female face (1839–40) followed by the first detailed photograph of the moon in 1840, this last an achievement which then led him into the realm of astronomy. In 1843, he made daguerreotypes of the solar spectrum that revealed new infra-red and ultra violet lines. Draper developed the proposition in 1842 that only light rays that are absorbed can produce chemical change. In 1847, he then published the observation that all solids glow red as a result of blackbody radiation at about the same temperature, about 977 °F (798 K), a monumental discovery which has come to be known as the Draper point. Bodies at temperatures just below the Draper point radiate primarily in the infrared range and emit negligible visible light. These findings enhanced the studies of astronomical physics, Black body, Planck's law, and thermal radiation research. Brashear's lovely signed inscription reads in full: "To my esteemed friend, Dr. John William Draper, with very sweet memories of his own people whose kindly advice and assistance in earlier years made possible any success I made have attained in the design and construction of instruments of precision for scientific research. Faithfully yours, John Alfred Brashear, Nov 7th, 1916" An incredible signed example with an astounding association between two contemporaries with a most humble and warm inscription!

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