Name/Title
Thomas Edison – Dealer Portrait in Ornate FrameEntry/Object ID
389Description
USA, ca. 1900 | Printing technique: chromolithograph or photogravure
This representative portrait of Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) was produced around 1900 for the showrooms of Edison dealers. It is not an oil painting, but a high-quality print reproduction – most likely a chromolithograph or photogravure, sometimes mounted on canvas or heavy paper to imitate the look of a painting.
Presented in a richly decorated wooden frame, the portrait was intended to convey respectability and elegance, ensuring that Edison’s presence was always felt in the dealer’s showroom – as a symbol of progress and technical innovation.
Such portraits were part of the marketing strategy of the Edison Phonograph Company, which encouraged or required their dealers to furnish showrooms with banners, images, and displays featuring Edison himself.
The example preserved in the Edisonium is a remarkably well-preserved specimen, illustrating how Edison’s image became a symbol of the emerging sound recording industry.