42

Drawing from Bolivian patent for his "Electric Lamp"

Thomas A. Edison

Document Signed, "Thomas Alva Edison," leaf from patent showing diagram

and two additional signatures by witnesses. 16¼x22½ inches; all edges reinforced with linen verso, short closed tears at all edges, some chipping with minor loss along lower edge, remnants of mounting at edges in all corners recto, faint marginal discoloration from prior matting, some scattered creasing.

Np, [1881].

  • Notes: On January 27, 1880, Thomas Edison's "Electric Lamp" was granted patent number 223,898 by the U.S. Patent Office, opening the door to a world illuminated by safe and reliable electric light bulbs. In order to protect his ideas in foreign markets, Edison filed patents in Great Britain, France, Germany, and elsewhere. On June 7, 1881, Edison filed a patent for "new and improved equipment for electric lamps and methods of manufacturing them" with the Republic of Bolivia. This patent included several drawings on separate sheets, including the leaf in the present lot, numbered "sheet 7," in Spanish, at upper right. 
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April 9, 2026 12:00 PM EDT
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