Jan 28, 2016 - Sale 2403

Sale 2403 - Lot 149

Price Realized: $ 1,188
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 300 - $ 400
(FRED COOPER.)
Bronze figure statue / ring holder cast by Gorham for The New York Edison Company. 127 mm; 5 inches high by 114 mm; 4 1/2 inches wide (base measures 603 mm; 2 1/2 inches diameter). Cooper's iconic Colonial butler figure holding a tray with a single light bulb, the base engraved with "Compliments of The New York Edison Company" and the side of the base reads "Gorham Co. `Forty Years at Your Service' September 4, 1882 - 1922."

Additional Details

Cooper began his thirty-plus year relationship with The New York Edison Company soon after arriving in New York in 1904. His illustrations and artistic lettering for both for their corporate image and the Edison Weekly magazine quickly became the official hallmark of the company, used in mass advertising on posters, flyers, letterheads, print ads and calendars. His most famous and recognizable illustration for them was the Knickerbocker figure used for this bronze. This piece is sometimes misattributed to Maxfield Parrish. These charming bronzes were created for presentation only and were never offered for sale.