The Electric Light
Medium
Lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 13 5/8 × 17 1/2 in. (34.6 × 44.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of A. S. Colgate, 1952
Accession Number
52.632.204
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the flickering world of innovation with *The Electric Light*, a colorful 1880 lithograph produced by the famed American firm Currier & Ives. This print, credited in association with inventor Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931), captures a pivotal moment in history: Edison's breakthrough with the practical incandescent light bulb, patented just a year earlier and poised to banish gas lamps and candles from homes. Measuring 13⅝ × 17½ inches, it's a classic example of Currier & Ives' mass-produced prints, which democratized art for everyday Americans through affordable lithography—a planogra...