Thomas Edison
1914 Detroit Electric Model 47 Brougham · serial 5426
Photo details
Joyride preserves the 2,921 × 2,260 Commons original byte-for-byte. The public 1,600 × 1,238 proportional JPEG derivative applies deterministic Gaussian blur only to the readable historic registration at original coordinates x=350, y=1525, width=230, height=175, then removes metadata. No crop, generated content, vehicle reconstruction or other retouching.
Photo details
Joyride preserves the 2,426 × 2,983 Commons original and serves a proportional 1,301 × 1,600 JPEG derivative with metadata removed. No crop, retouching, registration redaction, generation or compositing; responsive presentation may crop displayed edges. This identification portrait remains separate from the actual-car photograph.
The electric car that turned an old photo into an exact-object story
- Connection
- Documented former owner, user and battery-system association · Mina Edison’s preferred vehicle
- When
- Shipped December 19, 1913 · Edison household use · later Glenmont garage collection
- Identity
- 1914 Detroit Electric Model 47 Brougham · serial 5426 · shipped December 19, 1913; the photographed 1913 presentation is not a claim of unchanged current condition
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History finding aid closes an identity gap left by the photo caption alone. It says the electric car pictured with Thomas Edison is a 1914 Detroit Electric Brougham Model 47, serial number 5426, shipped on December 19, 1913 to East Orange, New Jersey. That exact serial-and-shipment statement binds the National Park Service photograph to an individual car rather than merely to a matching Detroit Electric.
The same record says the car shipped with an Edison Battery but without a motor, calling that configuration very unusual. Joyride does not guess why, who later fitted a motor, or whether every pictured component matches the shipping configuration. The Commons file is dated 1913, which fits the December shipment but does not establish a more precise photo date; the 1914 label is the documented model year, not an assertion that the picture was taken in 1914.
The Edison Innovation Foundation says Edison’s Glenmont garage housed vehicles used by Thomas and Mina Edison, and identifies the 1914 Model 47 as Mina Edison’s preferred vehicle. It also records three battery compartments and period-advertised figures of 80 miles and 20 mph. Joyride therefore keeps Thomas’s documented ownership, his appearance with the car, Mina’s favored use and the Edison-battery association distinct. No sole-use claim, current owner, current operating condition, untouched components or complete restoration chronology is inferred.
Where the car went next
- December 19, 1913Serial 5426 ships to East Orange
The Smithsonian finding aid identifies the individual car as a 1914 Model 47 Brougham and records its shipment with an Edison Battery but no motor.
- 1913Edison is photographed with the car
The National Park Service photograph names Edison and a Detroit Electric; the Smithsonian record supplies the exact Model 47 and serial identity.
- Household-use chapterMina Edison’s preferred vehicle
The Edison Innovation Foundation identifies this Model 47 as Mina Edison’s preferred vehicle, so Thomas’s relationship is not presented as exclusive use.
- Later preservationA Glenmont garage collection story
The foundation places the car in the Edison historical garage story; Joyride does not infer current display, operating status or untouched 1913 components.
Sources for this story
The Smithsonian binds the pictured car to Model 47 serial 5426 and its December 19, 1913 shipment. The National Park Service/Commons record supplies the exact photograph and U.S. public-domain basis. The Edison Innovation Foundation documents Mina Edison’s preferred use and period Model 47 figures. No sole personal use, reason for the no-motor shipment, later motor identity, present owner, current running status, complete restoration chronology, unchanged 1913 configuration or game-compatible specification is claimed.
- Guide to the Thomas Alva Edison Photoprints · NMAH.AC.0299Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Archives Center · finding aid prepared 2000 · exact-car note reviewed 2026-10-11 · external source
The car pictured with Edison is the 1914 Detroit Electric Brougham Model 47, serial 5426, shipped December 19, 1913 to East Orange with an Edison Battery and no motor.
- Thomas Edison with Detroit Electric automobile · accession 5c0dedfe419d471a97687240eea8cfa8U.S. National Park Service via Wikimedia Commons · photograph dated 1913 · rights reviewed 2026-10-11 · external source
Edison and the photographed Detroit Electric, NPS provenance, 1913 date, accession identity and U.S. public-domain status.
- Edison’s Historical GarageThomas Edison Innovation Foundation · historical-garage record · reviewed 2026-10-11 · external source
The 1914 Model 47 as Mina Edison’s preferred vehicle, the Glenmont garage context, three battery compartments and period-advertised 80-mile range and 20-mph speed.
Reviewed
Why this is the actual car
- Photo identity evidence
The NPS/Commons record identifies Thomas Edison with the depicted Detroit Electric and preserves accession 5c0dedfe419d471a97687240eea8cfa8.
- Photo identity evidence
The Smithsonian finding aid identifies Edison’s pictured electric car as the 1914 Detroit Electric Brougham Model 47, serial 5426, shipped December 19, 1913.
The matching photographer, venue, date and vehicle history establish the identification; the chassis stamp is not visible in these photographs.