Communications

WANN Microphone

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.

A Sea Port

Line engraving from original painting by Claude Lorrain, also called Claude Gellée, once in the Gallery at Houghton. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Alternate title: Morning in the Harbor. Print removed from George P. Marsh's copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol.
Description
Line engraving from original painting by Claude Lorrain, also called Claude Gellée, once in the Gallery at Houghton. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Alternate title: Morning in the Harbor. Print removed from George P. Marsh's copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1. Notation on mounting sheet in pencil by S. R. Koehler: "A Sea Port. Claude le Lorrain. Canot. Taken out for framing, Mar. 17, '94." SI Secretary's Library stamp embossed below image.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1775
original artist
Lorrain, Claude
delineator
Farington, Joseph
engraver
Canot, Pierre Charles
publisher
Boydell, John
ID Number
1978.0534.02.40
catalog number
1978.0534.02.40
accession number
1978.0534

Picture postcard, "San Buena Ventura Mission, Founded 1782, Ventura, California"

This postcard view of San Buenaventura Mission was printed by the Van Ornum Colorprint Company in Los Angeles, Calif.
Description (Brief)
This postcard view of San Buenaventura Mission was printed by the Van Ornum Colorprint Company in Los Angeles, Calif. using photomechanical processes.
The Van Ornum Colorprint Company (1908-1921) was one of many picture postcard publishing companies producing California landmark scenes.
Mission San Buenaventura, founded in 1782, is located in the coastal town of Ventura. It was the ninth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions established in California between 1769 and 1823 to convert American Indians of the Chumash tribe to Catholicism.
Today the mission serves as a parish church and a museum.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1908-1921
graphic artist
Van Ornum Colorprint Co.
ID Number
1986.0639.0487
accession number
1986.0639
catalog number
1986.639.0487

Press pass, Headquarters, Army of the Potomac

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1862
maker
Army of the Potomac
ID Number
2012.0084.01
accession number
2012.0084
catalog number
2012.0084.01

Letter to Esther Copp from Lucinda Fitch

The Copp Collection contains a variety of household objects that the Copp family of Connecticut used from around 1700 until the mid-1800s.
Description
The Copp Collection contains a variety of household objects that the Copp family of Connecticut used from around 1700 until the mid-1800s. Part of the Puritan Great Migration from England to Boston, the family eventually made their home in New London County, Connecticut, where their textiles, clothes, utensils, ceramics, books, bibles, and letters provide a vivid picture of daily life. More of the collection from the Division of Home and Community Life can be viewed by searching accession number 28810.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1802-01-03
recipient
Copp, Esther
ID Number
DL.006873.120
accession number
28810
catalog number
6873.120

Engraved woodblock of a "Bird's-eye view of the Grand Canyon"

This engraved woodblock of “Bird’s-eye view of the Grand Canyon" was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as as Figure 72 (p.187) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Bird’s-eye view of the Grand Canyon" was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as as Figure 72 (p.187) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries. Explored in 1869, 1870, 1871, and 1872, under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution by John Wesley Powell (1834-1902).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Powell, John Wesley
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
ID Number
1980.0219.0467
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0467

Haskins telegraph relay patent model

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.
This relay is one of two pieces submitted to the Patent Office by inventor Charles H. Haskins of Milwaukee in 1872. He received US Patent 130,426 for an "Improved Telegraph Sounder and Relay" in August of that year. His idea was to create a sounder and relay combination that could operate automatically on both a local and a main-line circuit.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1872
maker
Haskins, Charles H.
ID Number
EM.320015
catalog number
320015
accession number
48865

Printing press and sheet-fed apparatus

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a press for printing material such as envelopes, and the pneumatic apparatus for feeding sheets to the press. The two patents, numbers 303550 and 386440, are demonstrated on a single model.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a press for printing material such as envelopes, and the pneumatic apparatus for feeding sheets to the press. The two patents, numbers 303550 and 386440, are demonstrated on a single model. Despite the dates of the patents, both applications were made on 10 July 1880. They were granted after unusually long delays.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1884
ca 1888
patent date
1884-08-12
1888-07-17
maker
Swift, Henry D.
Swift, D. Wheeler
ID Number
GA.89797.303550
patent number
GA*303550
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.303550
386440

Patent Model of a Type Breaker

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a type breaker which was assigned patent number 86968. This device broke the jets from the bodies of newly cast type and was intended to be attached to a typecasting machine.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a type breaker which was assigned patent number 86968. This device broke the jets from the bodies of newly cast type and was intended to be attached to a typecasting machine. The patent was granted to Philip Heinrich, proprietor of the Ph. Heinrich type foundry in New York.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1869
patent date
1869-02-16
maker
Baer, Charles
ID Number
GA.89797.086968
patent number
086968
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.086968

Brookfield Beehive Insulator

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

Engraved woodblock of "Bringing down the batten"

This engraved woodblock of “Bringing down the batten” was prepared, after a photograph, by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXXVIII (p.390) in an article by Dr.
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Bringing down the batten” was prepared, after a photograph, by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXXVIII (p.390) in an article by Dr. Washington Matthews (1843-1905) entitled “Navajo Weavers” in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1881-82.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1884
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Matthews, Washington
Powell, John Wesley
block maker
A. P. J. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1365
catalog number
1980.0219.1365
accession number
1980.0219

Patent model for printing on pyroxyline compounds (celluloid)

This patent model demonstrates an invention for variations on the method of printing celluloid under heat and pressure. The invention was granted patent number 348222.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for variations on the method of printing celluloid under heat and pressure. The invention was granted patent number 348222. The model consists of three photogravure specimens.
John Wesley Hyatt (born 1837) started his working life as a printer. Early in his career, he took out a patent for a composition for artificial ivory billiard balls, which led him to the invention of celluloid in 1868. In 1869 Hyatt and his brother Isaac founded the Celluloid Manufacturing Company. He held some 250 patents, mostly concerned with the use of celluloid.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1886
patent date
1886-08-31
maker
Lefferts, Marshall C.
Hyatt, John W.
ID Number
GA.89797.348222
accession number
089797
patent number
348222
catalog number
GA*89797.348222

Picture postcard, "Mission San Miguel, California"

This postcard view of Mission San Miguel was printed by the Detroit Publishing Company in about 1910, using a copyrighted photolithographic process called "Photostint."The Detroit Publishing Company (previously known as the Detroit Photographic Company) was first listed in Detroi
Description (Brief)
This postcard view of Mission San Miguel was printed by the Detroit Publishing Company in about 1910, using a copyrighted photolithographic process called "Photostint."
The Detroit Publishing Company (previously known as the Detroit Photographic Company) was first listed in Detroit city directories in 1888. Its manager, William A. Livingstone, invited 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 Miguel Arcángel, located in San Miguel, was the sixteenth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions founded in California between 1769 and 1823. The mission was established to convert American Indians of the Salinan tribe.
Today the mission serves as a parish church.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1910
graphic artist
Detroit Publishing Co.
ID Number
1986.0639.2041
accession number
1986.0639
catalog number
1986.639.2041

The Stoning of St. Stephen

Engraving after painting formerly attributed to Eustache Le Sueur once in the Salon at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, attributed provisionally to Thomas Gousse. Print removed from George P.
Description
Engraving after painting formerly attributed to Eustache Le Sueur once in the Salon at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, attributed provisionally to Thomas Gousse. Print removed from George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 2.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1773
maker
A. B. & W. Transit Company
artist attribution
Le Sueur, Eustache
publisher
Boydell, John
engraver
Aliamet, Francois Germain
ID Number
1978.0534.03.40
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.03.40

Herb Vegetable Sauce

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968-1970
author
Waters, Alice
ID Number
2016.0085.11
accession number
2016.0085
catalog number
2016.0085.11

Engraved woodblock of "Weaving diamond-shaped diagonals"

This engraved woodblock of “Weaving diamond-shaped diagonals” was prepared, after a photograph, by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXXV (p.380) in an article by Dr.
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Weaving diamond-shaped diagonals” was prepared, after a photograph, by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXXV (p.380) in an article by Dr. Washington Matthews (1843-1905) entitled “Navajo Weavers” in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1881-82.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1884
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Matthews, Washington
block maker
W. T. & B.
ID Number
1980.0219.1359
catalog number
1980.0219.1359
accession number
1980.0219

Camera-ready comic art drawing for Marmaduke

This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Marmaduke single-panel daily comic strip shows the Great Dane upset because Phil Winslow, his owner, has put ice in his daughter Barbara’s water, but not in his own water.Brad Anderson (1924- ) began his career as a comic artist selling s
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Marmaduke single-panel daily comic strip shows the Great Dane upset because Phil Winslow, his owner, has put ice in his daughter Barbara’s water, but not in his own water.
Brad Anderson (1924- ) began his career as a comic artist selling some of his cartoon art to an aviation magazine while still in high school. After college and four years' service in the U.S. Navy, Anderson began working in advertising and prepared freelance drawings for magazine cartoons in 1953. His creation Marmaduke was debuted in newspapers across the country in 1954. Today Anderson continues to draw Marmaduke with the help of his son.
Marmaduke (1954- ) is a newspaper daily panel and Sunday comic strip. The title character is a Great Dane belonging to the Winslow family, including husband and wife, Phil and Dottie, and two children, Barbara and Billy. The running theme involves the human characteristics of the title character, which contribute to the household's general unease and confusion.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1963-04-22
graphic artist
Anderson, Brad
maker
United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
ID Number
2010.0081.009
accession number
2010.0081
catalog number
2010.0081.009

Patent model for leather bound case

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a mail box providing a "strong, light, durable, and convenient box or trunk for the transporation of letters and other matter." The invention was granted patent number 9253.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a mail box providing a "strong, light, durable, and convenient box or trunk for the transporation of letters and other matter." The invention was granted patent number 9253.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1870
ca 1880
patent date
1880-06-15
maker
Sherriff, John
ID Number
1997.0198.18
catalog number
1997.0198.18
accession number
1997.0198

Patent model for weighing scale

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

Patent Model of an Engraving Machine for Drilling Straight or Oblique Holes

This patent model demonstrates an invention for an engraving machine for drilling straight or oblique holes which was granted patent number 103576.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for an engraving machine for drilling straight or oblique holes which was granted patent number 103576. The invention was designed for engraving and was probably intended for working ornamental plates rather than printing plates.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1870
patent date
1870-05-31
maker
Coulter, Charles J.
ID Number
GA.89797.103576
patent number
103576
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.103576

The steer

Etching on laid paper, trimmed. The outline of the animal is pricked, perhaps for tracing or transfer.Currently not on view
Description
Etching on laid paper, trimmed. The outline of the animal is pricked, perhaps for tracing or transfer.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
17th century
original artist
Roos, Johann Heinrich
ID Number
1978.0534.16
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.16

Warrior Killing a Soldier

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

Picture postcard, "Monterey. Old Mission Chapel"

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

Letter to family from Samuel Copp and reply from Mary Copp

The Copp Collection contains a variety of household objects that the Copp family of Connecticut used from around 1700 until the mid-1800s.
Description
The Copp Collection contains a variety of household objects that the Copp family of Connecticut used from around 1700 until the mid-1800s. Part of the Puritan Great Migration from England to Boston, the family eventually made their home in New London County, Connecticut, where their textiles, clothes, utensils, ceramics, books, bibles, and letters provide a vivid picture of daily life. More of the collection from the Division of Home and Community Life can be viewed by searching accession number 28810.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1804-09-19
originator (author or composer, etc.)
Copp, Mary Esther
recipient
Copp, Jr., Samuel
originator (author, etc.)
Copp, Mary
maker
Copp, Jr., Samuel
ID Number
DL.006873.141
catalog number
6873.141
accession number
28810

Homme se roulant a terre

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1874
original artist
Fortuny y Carbo, Mariano
ID Number
GA.16774
catalog number
16774
accession number
119780

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