Dean Ellis (New York, 1920 - 2009) "John D. Rockefeller" Signed lower left. Original Oil painting on Masonite.

Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.

This painting is the original painting which was published on the Fleetwood Commemorative Cover for The Shapers of America series issued in 1987.

In many ways, John D. Rockefeller represented, and expressed, the dominant forces in post Civil War America. Rockefeller saw that the fabulous natural resources of the continent would provide a foundation for its industrial power. So, he devoted himself single-mindedly to the development of the oil industry, bringing economic and fiscal order out of what had been competitive chaos. He built empires based on the naton's natural resources, creating large companies which eventually became trusts. Indeed, Rockefeller's company, Standard Oil, became the first "Trust," meaning that one board of trustees administered not only the parent company, but affiliated companies as well -- companies that extracted the raw material, transported and refined it, and then sold it both wholesale and retail. Order was achieved. But by the 1880s, people were becoming concerned by monopolies thus created, and anti-trust legislation sought to restore competition to the marketplace. "Robber Barons" they might have been, but it is interesting to note that most of those names associated with the great wealth amassed in the last quarter of the nineteenth century are associated, too, with philanthropy. Rockefeller was no exception. Having founded a dynasty, he began a foundation with the formal mandate to "promote the well-being of mankind throughout the world." He gave hundreds of millions of dollars to medical research, and created two universities. This Cover honors John D. Rockefeller, a man who helped shape America.

Image Size: 18 x 21 in.
Overall Size: 24 x 27 in.
Unframed.
(B11585)

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