by Geoffrey Godden:
Godden does not record this portrait.
Other comments:
This silk is a very unusual design for a GRANT, although attached to the rear of the silk portrait is a printed short history of Edison, with the GRANT name printed at the bottom:
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The New Silk Woven
Portraits.
Thos. Alva Edison, Electrician.
A powerful illustration of what
can be accomplished by persistent
and determined application in the
face of adverse circumstances, is
found in the subject of our present
sketch, THOMAS ALVA EDISON.
Commencing life as a News-boy,
he has worked his way up to the
position of an Inventive Genius
of the first order.
His first inventive success was
an Automatic Signalling Instru-
ment, followed shortly after by
another for Duplex Telegraphing.
During the past 12 years he has
taken out about 200 patents; he is
the inventor of the Phonograph,
Electric Pen, Loud Speaking
Telephone, and the system of
Electric Lighting, which bears
his name.
This Portrait is woven by
Electricity, supplied by a gener-
ator of his invention.
Manufactured by W. H. GRANT,
Foleshill, Coventry
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Edison was born 11th February, 1847, and died 18th October, 1931. It is not known when this silk portrait was first made, although as the printed narrative mentions " Electric Lighting which bears his name, " Edison formed the Edison Electric Light Company in 1878 and launched it on the New York public in 1879. This silk hence must be dated to later.
It was however not until 1882 that Edison first started generating and distributing electricity in Great Britain, and as Grant claims to be using it, this probably dates the silk to circa 1883.
