Former Washington sculptor designs statue of Edison
Alan Cottrill’s statue of Thomas Edison is depicted holding up a light bulb – and the proverbial light of innovation – to the world.
Sculptor Alan Cottrill said he wanted to capture pride and self-satisfaction with Thomas Edison holding up a light bulb just as Lady Liberty holds up a flame of justice.
The portfolio of 64-year-old sculptor Alan Cottrill is all around Southwestern Pennsylvania, with 50 life-sized or larger monuments within an hour of Washington.
At Washington & Jefferson College, his statue of a contemplative coal miner sits reading; presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson stretch out their arms to passing pedestrians at the corner of Beau and South Lincoln Streets.
Now, the former Washington resident who returned to his hometown of Zanesville, Ohio, just over a decade ago was commissioned for another work in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol – a bronze statue of inventor Thomas Edison (1847-1931).
The statue of the Ohio native will be unveiled Sept. 21, as it replaces the statue of Gov. William Allen.
“He was anti-Lincoln, pro-slavery. Ohioans wanted him out,” Cottrill said, “so a referendum went out six years ago to decide who would take his place. Edison came out on top, with the Wright Brothers and Jesse Owens coming in a close second and third.”
Cottrill was one of 35 entrants in the contest competing for the honor to render the entrepreneur. He was so confident in his ability to secure the job, he started work three years ago this month to depict Edison with symbolism similar to the Statue of Liberty.
“There’s a picture of Edison looking down at his lightbulb. I liked him looking and studying it. And as I started the mock-ups, I raised the bulb higher and higher. And then it hit me. It was him giving light to the world, literally and figuratively. It elevated man’s existence and allowed more joy in the world, and work to be efficient in society,” Cottrill said. “Then, I remembered Lady Liberty. It’s the same thing. It’s a connection to victory, justice and enlightenment.
“And I wanted to render him with a look of pride and self-satisfaction that he knew what was going to be the impact of this device.”
The raised incandescent bulb shows “a degree of tension in Edison’s body,” Cottrill said, as the “satisfaction comes with a bit of playfulness – that he enjoyed this work – but that it wasn’t without great effort.”
The sculptor crafted his likeness in how he was usually captured in photographs – in his everyday work suit, a hand in his pocket.
Each state has two statues in the hall. Edison will join former President James A. Garfield as Ohio’s represented historical figures. Pennsylvania’s figures include a marble statue of John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (1746-1807), a vice president of Pennsylvania (yes, the Commonwealth used to have presidents, akin to governors) and served in several Congresses. His statue, by artist Blanche Nevin, was gifted to the Captiol in 1889. The other statue received the same year was that of Robert Fulton (1765-1815), who spent most of his life in Europe, and patented the invention of a diving boat – The Nautilus – before collaborating with Robert Livingston to construct a steamboat for use on the Hudson River, according to records with National Statuary Hall.