Description:

Edison Thomas 1847 - 1931 Thomas Edison larger than life oil portrait signed by him and the artist on the Golden Jubilee of the electric light, ex. NY Chamber of Congress, DLJ, Credit Suisse.

Full-length portrait of inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931) by artist Ellis M. Silvette (1876-1940) commissioned by the New York State Chamber of Commerce in 1929 on the 50th anniversary of the invention of the electric light. Edison is depicted standing in the library of his West Orange, New Jersey laboratory, where booklined shelves, a large globe, and a luxurious curtain are visible in the background. The inventor stands erect in a black tailored 3-piece suit with an old-fashioned white shirt with a stiff collar and cuffs studded with gold cufflinks. He looks proudly at the viewer, his right hand clutching his right lapel.

Edison added his mark of approval in the lower left corner using a paintbrush: "OK TA Edison". Also signed "Ellis M. Silvette /1929 /Copyright by Ellis M. Silvette" in thei lower right corner. 20th century simple gilt frame bearing plaque engraved "Thomas A. Edison / Honorary Member of the Chamber of Commerce /1889-1931 / Painted from life in 1929 by Ellis M. Silvette". In near fine condition, with overall canvas craquelure. The canvas back is not visible, and the work has not been examined out of its frame. Expected wear to frame including some scattered minor gilt loss to the upper right corner. The enormous painting has a sight size of 40" x 91" and an actual size including frame of 47" x 96" x 4".

When this portrait of the iconic American inventor was unveiled at the New York State Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet on November 21, 1929, Edison stood and smiled in acknowledgment as the 600-member audience applauded at length. That year marked the "Golden Jubilee" of the electric light, and the inventor had been feted across the country. Edison had been elected an honorary member of the organization forty years earlier, a foresight remarked by Chamber President L.F. Loree. The work was hung in a place of honor in the Chamber's Great Hall, where it remained for decades.

Most portraits of Edison are photographic, but the inventor had been attracted to the technical precision with which artist Ellis M. Silvette approached his work. The painter made a series of mechanical measurements of the sitter's head and other physical features, resulting in hyper realistic portraits. His 1927 3/4 bust image of Edison served as a centerpiece for the October 21, 1929 "Light's Golden Jubilee" celebration in Dearborn, Michigan, at which Henry Ford dedicated the Thomas Edison Institute (later called Greenfield Village). Silvette painted the standing portrait from life in May of 1929, six months before the painting's unveiling.

Edison's reputation as being a decisive American business leader is amply demonstrated by his signed "OK", shorthand that he commonly used when approving technical designs, memoranda, and invoices. The brilliantly inventive and yet firmly rational genius evidently held the work of art to the same standard as he did a schematic or a business plan.

Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) was America's most prolific and arguably its most important inventor. His 1,093 patents span the fields of electricity, printing, telecommunications, and motion picture and sound recordings, as well as a myriad of other technologies. Edison's legacy consists of his two laboratories in Menlo Park and West Orange, New Jersey and in 300+ international companies that capitalized on his inventions.

Ellis Meyer Silvette (1876-1940), a native of Pennsylvania, studied art in Pittsburgh before attending the Royal Academy in Munich, where he trained under noted German realist Franz von Lenbach (1836-1904). Silvette settled in Richmond, Virginia, where he became a respected portraitist. He is best known for his portraits of Thomas Edison, including the present example. Four others are at the Edison National Historic Site; a fifth (current whereabouts unknown) was owned by the artist's son David (born 1909), also a painter.

Provenance: Ellis M. Silvette > New York Chamber of Commerce > Donaldson Lufkin Jenrette > Credit Suisse > auction

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