Communications

Tools of communication have transformed American society time and again over the past two centuries. The Museum has preserved many instruments of these changes, from printing presses to personal digital assistants.

The collections include hundreds of artifacts from the printing trade and related fields, including papermaking equipment, wood and metal type collections, bookbinding tools, and typesetting machines. Benjamin Franklin is said to have used one of the printing presses in the collection in 1726.

More than 7,000 objects chart the evolution of electronic communications, including the original telegraph of Samuel Morse and Alexander Graham Bell's early telephones. Radios, televisions, tape recorders, and the tools of the computer age are part of the collections, along with wireless phones and a satellite tracking system.

This patent model demonstrates an invention for an improvement on known methods of shading lithographic drawings with molded gelatine sheets, as by the Ben Day method. The invention was granted patent number 432994.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for an improvement on known methods of shading lithographic drawings with molded gelatine sheets, as by the Ben Day method. The invention was granted patent number 432994.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
patent date
1890-07-29
maker
Fausel, Daniel
ID Number
GA.89797.432994
accession number
089797
patent number
432994
catalog number
GA*87979.432994
This patent model demonstrates an invention for methods of making photomechanical or other prints resemble original photographs.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for methods of making photomechanical or other prints resemble original photographs. The invention was granted patent number 493850.
Tonal photomechanical reproductions had an objectionable coarseness because of the perceptible pattern of the halftone screen. By this invention, screened plates-either bearing an image or blank-were printed several times slightly out of register with each other, softening the effect of the screen. The key impression of the image would be made first in a dark ink with a heavy body, and then the other impressions in paler or lighter-bodied inks. To imitate sepia photographs, later impressions were made in brown tinted inks.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1893
patent date
1893-03-21
patentee
Woodward, Charles B.
ID Number
GA.89797.493850
patent number
493850
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.493850
This patent model demonstrates an invention for slim quoins consisting of two metal plates with slanting faces that worked on each other; used when there was not enough space in the form for ordinary quoins. The invention was granted patent number 483185.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for slim quoins consisting of two metal plates with slanting faces that worked on each other; used when there was not enough space in the form for ordinary quoins. The invention was granted patent number 483185. Model incomplete.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1892
patent date
1892-09-27
patentee
Tinsley, William J.
ID Number
GA.89797.483185
patent number
483185
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.483185
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a type mold which was granted patent number 450083.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a type mold which was granted patent number 450083. The patent details a mold for casting type with letters on both ends, or "duplex-lettered type." Such type was used in printing for the blind, though no particular application is specified for this patent.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1891
patent date
1891-04-07
maker
Mitchell, Thomas
Milne, John
ID Number
GA.89797.450083
patent number
450083
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.450083
Unknown artist, about 1894“Cheyenne Picture. Warrior Killing a Soldier.”Ink and watercolorThis drawing shows the victory of a Cheyenne warrior over a U.S. Army soldier.
Description
Unknown artist, about 1894
“Cheyenne Picture. Warrior Killing a Soldier.”
Ink and watercolor
This drawing shows the victory of a Cheyenne warrior over a U.S. Army soldier. The artist depicts the warrior counting coup on his enemy by touching the fallen soldier with his riding whip (quirt). Counting coup - in this instance touching an adversary in battle - was considered an act of bravery that could gain war honors. This single event took place during a larger battle against many adversaries, as indicated by the large number of rifles at the left.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1875
date made
ca 1894
original artist
unknown
ID Number
GA.08111
accession number
1897.031963
catalog number
GA*08111
accession number
1897.31963
Telegraph sounders convert electrical pulses into audible sounds and are used to receive Morse code messages. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. Short pulses make a dot, slightly longer pulses make a dash.
Description (Brief)
Telegraph sounders convert electrical pulses into audible sounds and are used to receive Morse code messages. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. Short pulses make a dot, slightly longer pulses make a dash. The sequence of dots and dashes represent letters and numbers. The pulses energize the sounder’s electromagnets which move a lever-arm. The arm makes a loud “click” when it strikes a crossbar and the operator translates the pattern of sounds into the original language. The Dec. 3, 1889 patent date stamped on the binding screw refers to US Patent #418288, issued to Patrick B. Delany of New York City. The patent covers the design of the electrical binding post.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1891
maker
J. H. Bunnell & Co.
ID Number
EM.181116
catalog number
181116
accession number
25412
Telegraph keys are electrical switches used to send coded messages that travel as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. Due to special difficulties in sending pulses through long underwater cables, so-called double-current keys were used.
Description (Brief)
Telegraph keys are electrical switches used to send coded messages that travel as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. Due to special difficulties in sending pulses through long underwater cables, so-called double-current keys were used. Instead of the short dots and long dashes of land-line telegraphs, submarine telegraphs sent positive pulses and negative pulses that made the receiver move right or left. The operator pressed one lever on the key to send a positive pulse and another to send a negative pulse. The code consisted of the sequence of left and right movements recorded on a paper tape. This particular key was used in testing insulation at Tufts University in the years around 1910.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
ca 1903
maker
Queen and Company
ID Number
EM.328049
catalog number
328049
accession number
270107
collector/donor number
13
Telegraph relays amplified electrical signals in a telegraph line. Telegraph messages traveled as a series of electrical pulses through a wire from a transmitter to a receiver. Short pulses made a dot, slightly longer pulses a dash.
Description
Telegraph relays amplified electrical signals in a telegraph line. Telegraph messages traveled as a series of electrical pulses through a wire from a transmitter to a receiver. Short pulses made a dot, slightly longer pulses a dash. The pulses faded in strength as they traveled through the wire, to the point where the incoming signal was too weak to directly operate a receiving sounder or register. A relay detected a weak signal and used a battery to strengthen the signal so that the receiver would operate.
“Main line” relays like this unit made by J. H. Bunnell & Co. were one of the most common types of relay and were typically made with a resistance of 150 ohms. As the name suggests, main line relays served on major intercity circuits several hundred miles long. This particular unit is rated for 200 ohms, a somewhat higher than normal resistance. A notation in the record refers to this relay as "R.R. Pattern". Presumably that means the piece was made or used specifically for railroad telegraph lines but the exact meaning is unclear.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
maker
J. H. Bunnell & Co.
ID Number
EM.320011
catalog number
320011
accession number
243907
Telegraph keys are electrical on-off switches used to send messages in Morse code. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire that activate a register or sounder at the receiving end.
Description (Brief)
Telegraph keys are electrical on-off switches used to send messages in Morse code. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire that activate a register or sounder at the receiving end. This key is mounted with a sounder, a common arrangement.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
maker
J. H. Bunnell & Co.
ID Number
EM.330416
catalog number
330416
accession number
290301
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1897
maker
Brookfield Glass Company
ID Number
EM.181752
catalog number
181752
accession number
33261
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1894
1910
about 1804
associated date
1890 - 1900
graphic artist
unknown
ID Number
2014.0037.23
catalog number
2014.0037.23
2014.0037.23
2014.0037.23
accession number
2014.0037
Telegraph relays amplified electrical signals in a telegraph line. Telegraph messages traveled as a series of electrical pulses through a wire from a transmitter to a receiver. Short pulses made a dot, slightly longer pulses a dash.
Description
Telegraph relays amplified electrical signals in a telegraph line. Telegraph messages traveled as a series of electrical pulses through a wire from a transmitter to a receiver. Short pulses made a dot, slightly longer pulses a dash. The pulses faded in strength as they traveled through the wire, to the point where the incoming signal was too weak to directly operate a receiving sounder or register. A relay detected a weak signal and used a battery to strengthen the signal so that the receiver would operate.
A plate on this Bunnell relay associates the unit with "Weiny-Phillips" U.S. patent 479178. However, that 19 July 1892 patent was issued solely to Roderick H. Weiny with no mention of Phillips. The relay differs in appearance from the unit depicted on the patent so perhaps Phillips modified Weiny's design.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1893
maker
J. H. Bunnell & Co.
ID Number
EM.331671
accession number
294351
catalog number
331671
collector/donor number
12-05
patent number
479178
Telegraph keys are electrical on-off switches used to send messages in Morse code. The construction of this German key is heavier than most American models used in land-line telegraphy.
Description (Brief)
Telegraph keys are electrical on-off switches used to send messages in Morse code. The construction of this German key is heavier than most American models used in land-line telegraphy. The telegraph system in Germany was operated by the Deutschen Reichpost (German Post Office) for whom Siemens & Halske made this key.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
maker
Siemens & Halske
ID Number
EM.327960
catalog number
327960
accession number
271855
Telegraph keys are electrical on-off switches used to send messages in Morse code. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire.
Description (Brief)
Telegraph keys are electrical on-off switches used to send messages in Morse code. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. The operator pushes the key’s lever down briefly to make a short signal, a dot, or holds the lever down for a moment to make a slightly longer signal, a dash. The sequence of dots and dashes represent letters and numbers. This key has a switch on the side called a circuit-closer that takes the key off-line when not in use. The wooden base was made in the museum to display the key. In operation, the key was mounted to a table using the bolts and wingnuts.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
maker
Manhattan Electric Supply Co.
ID Number
EM.222131
catalog number
222131
accession number
41948
Telegraph relays amplified electrical signals in a telegraph line. Telegraph messages traveled as a series of electrical pulses through a wire from a transmitter to a receiver. Short pulses made a dot, slightly longer pulses a dash.
Description
Telegraph relays amplified electrical signals in a telegraph line. Telegraph messages traveled as a series of electrical pulses through a wire from a transmitter to a receiver. Short pulses made a dot, slightly longer pulses a dash. The pulses faded in strength as they traveled through the wire, to the point where the incoming signal was too weak to directly operate a receiving sounder or register. A relay detected a weak signal and used a battery to strengthen the signal so that the receiver would operate.
“Main line” relays like this unit were common. Typically made with a resistance of 150 ohms, main line relays served on major intercity circuits. According to George C. Maynard, the curator who collected this piece in 1891, "This specimen seems to be a very slightly modified version of the Western Union Relay No. 2 of the Tillotson Company which was introduced in a 150 Ohms model about 1880-1881 at $8.50. As late as 1893 the E. S. Greeley Co. was still using the Tillotson illustration of 1880-1881. However the caption had been changed to 'Improved Western Union Relay'. ... The armature or lever in this model is the old style of two-piece construction. A bar across the poles of the magnet is attached to the lever [instead of a single-piece lever]."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1891
maker
E. S. Greeley & Company
ID Number
EM.181117
accession number
25412
catalog number
181117
Telegraph keys are electrical on-off switches used to send messages in Morse code. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire.
Description (Brief)
Telegraph keys are electrical on-off switches used to send messages in Morse code. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. The operator pushes the key’s lever down briefly to make a short signal, a dot, or holds the lever down for a moment to make a slightly longer signal, a dash. The sequence of dots and dashes represent letters and numbers. This key has a switch on the side to select which side of a battery to connect to a line, the positive or negative terminal, and is called a pole-changing key.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
maker
Spies Electric Works
ID Number
EM.331428
maker number
1-B
collector/donor number
100-825
accession number
294351
catalog number
331428
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
June 20, 1896
depicted (sitter)
Reed, Ethel
ID Number
2012.3050.03
nonaccession number
2012.3050
catalog number
2012.3050.03
Hand-inking lever press, made by William Clark and Joshua Daughaday, Philadelphia, 1876.The Model press was invented and patented in 1874 by William Clark, Philadelphia, who went into business for its production with Joshau Daughaday, a publisher.
Description (Brief)
Hand-inking lever press, made by William Clark and Joshua Daughaday, Philadelphia, 1876.
The Model press was invented and patented in 1874 by William Clark, Philadelphia, who went into business for its production with Joshau Daughaday, a publisher. The press was intended for tradesmen and amateurs (including children), two groups outside the ordinary printing trade. It came in a range of sizes and models, from hand-inking card presses to full-sized job presses, and was produced well into the twentieth century.
Donated by Mr. & Mrs. Herbert Gilder, 1996
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1890
maker
Daughaday, William
Clark, William
Clark, William
ID Number
1996.0034.01
accession number
1996.0034
catalog number
1996.0034.01
Telegraph keys are electrical on-off switches used to send messages in Morse code. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire.
Description (Brief)
Telegraph keys are electrical on-off switches used to send messages in Morse code. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. The operator pushes the key’s lever down briefly to make a short signal, a dot, or holds the lever down for a moment to make a slightly longer signal, a dash. The sequence of dots and dashes represent letters and numbers. This key has a switch on the side called a circuit-closer that takes the key off-line when not in use. The wooden base was made in the museum to display the key. In operation, the key was mounted to a table using the bolts and wingnuts.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
maker
Foote, Pierson & Co.
ID Number
EM.222134
accession number
41949
catalog number
222134
Telegraph keys are electrical switches used to send messages in code. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. This British key was designed for use on underwater telegraph cables. Typical telegraph keys turn the current on and off in the line.
Description (Brief)
Telegraph keys are electrical switches used to send messages in code. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. This British key was designed for use on underwater telegraph cables. Typical telegraph keys turn the current on and off in the line. This double-current key keeps the battery on the line and reverses the direction of the current flow when the operator presses down on the lever. Setting the small lever to “receive” sends the current to a separate relay instead of through the main section of the key.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1895
maker
Silvertown Telegraph Works
India-rubber, Gutta-percha, and Telegraph Works Company
ID Number
EM.330242
catalog number
330242
accession number
288763
This postcard view of the Old Mission Chapel at Monterey was printed using a copyrighted photolithographic process called "Photostint" by the Detroit Photographic Company in about 1899.The Detroit Photographic Company was first listed in Detroit city directories in 1888 and was m
Description (Brief)
This postcard view of the Old Mission Chapel at Monterey was printed using a copyrighted photolithographic process called "Photostint" by the Detroit Photographic Company in about 1899.
The Detroit Photographic Company was first listed in Detroit city directories in 1888 and was managed by William A. Livingstone. Livingstone invited the famous landscape photographer William Henry Jackson to join the company as a partner in 1897. Jackson brought with him his own photographic images, which would be used by the company.
Mission San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo, or the Old Mission Chapel, was founded in 1770 by Fr. Junípero Serra, the Spanish Franciscan missionary associated with twenty-one missions in California. Mission San Carlos was the second of the missions founded between 1769 and 1823 for the conversion of American Indians of the Esselen and Ohlone, or Costanoan, tribes to Catholicism.
Today the mission serves as a parish church.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1899
graphic artist
Detroit Photographic Co.
ID Number
1986.0639.1998
catalog number
1986.639.1998
accession number
1986.0639
Unknown artist, about 1894“Cheyenne Pictures. Standing Elk’s Horse Killed in Fight with Troops.”Pencil, ink, and watercolorThe central focus of this image is a wounded horse, bleeding from head and rump, being fired on by U.S. troops at the right.
Description
Unknown artist, about 1894
“Cheyenne Pictures. Standing Elk’s Horse Killed in Fight with Troops.”
Pencil, ink, and watercolor
The central focus of this image is a wounded horse, bleeding from head and rump, being fired on by U.S. troops at the right. Standing Elk, with his name glyph above him, has dismounted and appears to be safe from the rifle shots. The suggestion of concern by the warrior indicates the high value placed on horses by Plains tribesmen.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1894
original artist
unknown
ID Number
GA.08112
catalog number
GA*08112
accession number
1897.031963
Telegraph sounders convert electrical pulses into audible sounds and are used to receive Morse code messages. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. Short pulses make a dot, slightly longer pulses make a dash.
Description (Brief)
Telegraph sounders convert electrical pulses into audible sounds and are used to receive Morse code messages. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. Short pulses make a dot, slightly longer pulses make a dash. The sequence of dots and dashes represent letters and numbers. The pulses energize the sounder’s electromagnets which move a lever-arm. The arm makes a loud “click” when it strikes a crossbar and the operator translates the pattern of sounds into the original language. According to a Western Union tag, this sounder was used on the Chicago, Kansas and Western Railroad. W. T. Baker of Western Union's New York repair shop sent the sounder to the company museum in 1937.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1890
maker
J. H. Bunnell & Co.
ID Number
EM.332363
accession number
294351
catalog number
332363
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a balancing ball on a weighing scale; the invention was granted patent number 534839.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a balancing ball on a weighing scale; the invention was granted patent number 534839.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1870
ca 1895
patent date
1895-02-26
maker
Heyer, Charles A.
ID Number
1997.0198.19
catalog number
1997.0198.19
accession number
1997.0198

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