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 tinted lithograph of “Mission and Plain of San Fernando” was originally drawn by an expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate VI following page 74 in the "Geological Report by W. P.
Description (Brief)
This tinted lithograph of “Mission and Plain of San Fernando” was originally drawn by an expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate VI following page 74 in the "Geological Report by W. P. Blake (1826-1910), Geologist and Minerologist to the Expedition," as part of Volume V, Part II of the "Report of Lieutenant R. S. Williamson (1825-1882), Corps of Topographical Engineers, Upon the Routes in California to Connect with the Routes Near the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-second Parallels" by Lieutenant R. S. Williamson ... in 1853."
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1856 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) in Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1856
publisher
U.S. War Department
printer
Tucker, Beverley
author
Williamson, Robert Stockton
Blake, William Phipps
original artist
Koppel, Charles
graphic artist
unknown
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
ID Number
GA.10729.38
accession number
62261
This tinted lithograph of “Mirage on the Colorado River” was prepared after an original sketch by ah expedition geologist and artist William P. Blake (1826-1910). It was printed as Plate XII in Volume V, Part II following page 250 in the "Geological Report by W. P.
Description
This tinted lithograph of “Mirage on the Colorado River” was prepared after an original sketch by ah expedition geologist and artist William P. Blake (1826-1910). It was printed as Plate XII in Volume V, Part II following page 250 in the "Geological Report by W. P. Blake, Geologist and Minerologist to the Expedition," as part of Volume V, Part II of the “Routes in California, to Connect with the Routes near the Thirty–Fifth and Thirty–Second Parallels, Explored by Lieutenant R. S. Williamson, Corps of Topographical Engineers, in 1853."
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1856 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1856
publisher
U.S. War Department
printer
Tucker, Beverley
expedition leader
Williamson, Robert Stockton
author
Blake, William Phipps
original artist
Blake, William Phipps
graphic artist
unknown
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
ID Number
GA.10729.32
accession number
62261
This tinted lithograph of “Great Basin from the Summit of Tejon Pass” was produced after an original sketch by expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate V in Volume V, Part II following page 50 in the "Geological Report by W. P.
Description (Brief)
This tinted lithograph of “Great Basin from the Summit of Tejon Pass” was produced after an original sketch by expedition artist Charles Koppel (fl. 1853-1865). It was printed as Plate V in Volume V, Part II following page 50 in the "Geological Report by W. P. Blake, Geologist and Minerologist to the Expedition," as part of the “Routes in California, to Connect with the Routes near the Thirty–Fifth and Thirty–Second Parallels, Explored by Lieutenant R. S. Williamson, Corps of Topographical Engineers, in 1853."
The volume was printed as part of the "Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean" in 1856 by A. P. O. Nicholson (1808-1876) of Washington, D.C.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1856
publisher
U.S. War Department
printer
Tucker, Beverley
author
Williamson, Robert Stockton
original artist
Koppel, Charles
Koppel, Charles
graphic artist
unknown
publisher
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Topographic Command
original artist
Koppel, Charles
ID Number
GA.10729.33
accession number
62261
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a printing press which was granted patent number 203465. The patent describes a copper plate press in which the "plank" or bed carrying the plate ran vertically.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a printing press which was granted patent number 203465. The patent describes a copper plate press in which the "plank" or bed carrying the plate ran vertically. The plate was heated by steam, and automatically inked and wiped.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1878
Date made
May 7, 1878
patent date
1878-05-07
maker
Kenworthy, Thomas C.
McGregor, Archibald
ID Number
GA.89797.203465
catalog number
GA*89797.230465
patent number
230465
accession number
89797
This is a patent model of a typecasting machine, assigned patent number 632. This is patentee David Bruce's first patent for a typecasting machine, provided the basis for a generation of pivotal casters.
Description (Brief)
This is a patent model of a typecasting machine, assigned patent number 632. This is patentee David Bruce's first patent for a typecasting machine, provided the basis for a generation of pivotal casters. The model is damaged.
Description
This is a patent model of a typecasting machine, assigned patent number 632. This is patentee David Bruce's first patent for a typecasting machine, provided the basis for a generation of pivotal casters. The model is damaged.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
March 17, 1838
Patent Date March 17, 1838
ca 1838
date made
ca 1838
patent date
March 17, 1838
maker
Bruce, Jr., David
Bruce, Jr., David
ID Number
GA.89797.000632
patent number
000632
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.000632
This engraved woodblock of "Marble Canyon” was prepared by engraver Edward Bookhout (1844-1886) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as Figure 26 (p.77) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tribu
Description
This engraved woodblock of "Marble Canyon” was prepared by engraver Edward Bookhout (1844-1886) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as Figure 26 (p.77) 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). Thomas Moran (1837-1926) accompanied Powell on his expedition and drew the original image.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
1875
original artist
Moran, Thomas
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Powell, John Wesley
graphic artist
Bookhout, Edward
block maker
V. W. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.0259
catalog number
1980.0219.0259
accession number
1980.0219
This engraved woodblock of “Climbing the Grand Canyon” was prepared by F. S.
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Climbing the Grand Canyon” was prepared by F. S. King and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 on page 98 of John Wesley Powell's 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. Thomas Moran (1837-1926) was the original artist.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
1875
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Powell, John Wesley
original artist
Moran, Thomas
graphic artist
King, Francis Scott
maker
V. W. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.0474
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0474
This wooden and brass scale model of an 18th-century English common press dates from the late 19th-century.
Description (Brief)
This wooden and brass scale model of an 18th-century English common press dates from the late 19th-century. It is stamped on its side "244884."
The model was made by the Patent Office for their own reference and exhibition purposes.
Transfer from the Department of the Interior, 1906.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
Late 19th century
date made
late 19th century
maker
unknown
unknown
ID Number
GA.11013
accession number
46812
catalog number
11013
accession number
46812
This engraved woodblock of an “Australian grave and carved trees” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 37 (p.76) in an article by Garrick Mallery (1831-1894) entitled “Pictographs of the North American Indians: a pr
Description
This engraved woodblock of an “Australian grave and carved trees” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 37 (p.76) in an article by Garrick Mallery (1831-1894) entitled “Pictographs of the North American Indians: a preliminary paper” in the Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1882-83.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1886
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Mallery, Garrick
block maker
J. J. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1206
catalog number
1980.0219.1206
accession number
1980.0219
Miniature wooden model of hypothetical press, late 19th century.Height 12There is no direct record of Gutenberg’s press. This simplemodel is based on a popular nineteenth-century image.
Description (Brief)
Miniature wooden model of hypothetical press, late 19th century.
Height 12
There is no direct record of Gutenberg’s press. This simple
model is based on a popular nineteenth-century image. It has a
massive wooden screw like a paper press, but no provision for
moving the type smoothly into position, adjusting the impression,
or holding the platen steady in its descent.
Deposited by Department of the Interior, 1906
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
late 19th century
maker
unknown
ID Number
GA.11015
catalog number
11015
accession number
46812
This engraved woodblock of a “Haida totem post” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 24 (p.68) in an article by Garrick Mallery (1831-1894) entitled “Pictographs of the North American Indians: a preliminary paper” i
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “Haida totem post” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 24 (p.68) in an article by Garrick Mallery (1831-1894) entitled “Pictographs of the North American Indians: a preliminary paper” in the Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1882-83.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1886
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Mallery, Garrick
block maker
J. J. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1509
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.1509
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
This engraved woodblock of the “Bird’s-eye view of cliffs of erosion” was prepared and printed by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published in 1875 as Figure 74 (p.162) in The Exploration of the Colorado River of the West by John Wesley Powell (1
Description
This engraved woodblock of the “Bird’s-eye view of cliffs of erosion” was prepared and printed by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published in 1875 as Figure 74 (p.162) in The Exploration of the Colorado River of the West by John Wesley Powell (1834-1902). Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) engraved the illustration which “depicts the Shin-ar’-ump Cliffs, Vermillion Cliffs, and Gray Cliffs, in order from right to left.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
1875
printer
Government Printing Office
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
author
Powell, John Wesley
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
block maker
V. W. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1562
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.1562
This wooden model of a Stanhope press was manufactured in the late 19th century; it has a height of 11 inches, a width of 7.5 inches, and a length of 11 inches.The Stanhope was invented in England by Charles Earl Stanhope in about 1800.
Description (Brief)
This wooden model of a Stanhope press was manufactured in the late 19th century; it has a height of 11 inches, a width of 7.5 inches, and a length of 11 inches.
The Stanhope was invented in England by Charles Earl Stanhope in about 1800. It was a screw press with a stout iron frame. The leverage of the screw was compounded by a system of levers. Very heavy and very powerful, the press was welcomed both in Great Britain and in Europe as a successor to the old wooden presses. Stanhope presses were even imported into the United States, though rarely, before the American iron presses of the 1820s made their appearance.
This is a much-simplified model made by the U.S. Patent Office for their own reference purposes.
Transferred by Department of the Interior, 1906.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
late 19th century
maker
U.S. Patent Office
U.S. Patent Office
ID Number
GA.11014
catalog number
GA*11014
accession number
1906.46812
Alfred Vail made this key, believed to be from the first Baltimore-Washington telegraph line, as an improvement on Samuel Morse's original transmitter.
Description
Alfred Vail made this key, believed to be from the first Baltimore-Washington telegraph line, as an improvement on Samuel Morse's original transmitter. Vail helped Morse develop a practical system for sending and receiving coded electrical signals over a wire, which was successfully demonstrated in 1844.
Morse's telegraph marked the arrival of instant long-distance communication in America. The revolutionary technology excited the public imagination, inspiring predictions that the telegraph would bring about economic prosperity, national unity, and even world peace.
Date made
1844
used date
1844
demonstrator
Morse, Samuel Finley Breese
Vail, Alfred
maker
Vail, Alfred
Morse, Samuel Finley Breese
ID Number
EM.181411
catalog number
181411
accession number
31652
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 is a replica of an early type of lever key used by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1898
inventor
Vail, Alfred
Morse, Samuel Finley Breese
maker
Model Shop, United States National Museum
ID Number
EM.181770
catalog number
181770
nonaccession number
1995.3095
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
This engraved woodblock of “Tholomomys Chusius” or (Thomomys Clusius) Wyoming Pocket Gopher was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published in 1875 as Figure 80 (p.265) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Tholomomys Chusius” or (Thomomys Clusius) Wyoming Pocket Gopher was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published in 1875 as Figure 80 (p.265) 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). The image appears in Part Third, entitled “Zoology” by Elliott Coues (1842-1899). The illustration was engraved by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
1875
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
original artist
Keene, S. W.
author
Coues, Elliott
block maker
V. W. & Co.
author
Powell, John Wesley
ID Number
1980.0219.1088
catalog number
1980.0219.1088
accession number
1980.0219
This brass scale model of the English common press belonging to theVermont Historical Society (known as the “Stephen Daye press”) wasmade by Alfred T. Breitengross of Baltimore in 1939. The press has a height of 6.75 inches a width of 4.75 inches and a length of 5.5 inches.
Description (Brief)
This brass scale model of the English common press belonging to the
Vermont Historical Society (known as the “Stephen Daye press”) was
made by Alfred T. Breitengross of Baltimore in 1939. The press has a height of 6.75 inches a width of 4.75 inches and a length of 5.5 inches. The press sits on an original wooden base measuring 9 inches by 3.5 inches.
Donated by Alfred T. Breitengross, 1945
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1639
1939
maker
Alfred T. Breitengross
ID Number
GA.19360
catalog number
19360
accession number
170348
This engraved woodblock of a “View of Marble Canyon (from the Vermillion Cliffs)” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 63 (p.180) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries.
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “View of Marble Canyon (from the Vermillion Cliffs)” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 63 (p.180) 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). The image depicts the “Colorado River [and] the Eastern Kaibab Displacements, appearing as folds [and] faults.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
1875
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Powell, John Wesley
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
block maker
V. W. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1355
catalog number
1980.0219.1355
accession number
1980.0219
This engraved woodblock of “Light House Rock in the Canyon of Desolation” was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as Figure 17 (p.49) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado Rive
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Light House Rock in the Canyon of Desolation” was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as Figure 17 (p.49) 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
ca 1875
1875
printer
Government Printing Office
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
author
Powell, John Wesley
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
ID Number
1980.0219.0068
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0068
This miniature copperplate press with blankets and blanket-lifting pulleys is made of brass and mounted on a wooden base. It dates from the early 20th century. The press has a height of 9.5 inches and a width of 8 inches long.Mr.
Description (Brief)
This miniature copperplate press with blankets and blanket-lifting pulleys is made of brass and mounted on a wooden base. It dates from the early 20th century. The press has a height of 9.5 inches and a width of 8 inches long.
Mr. Clifford Firmbach, an employee of the Bureau of Engraving, was given this little working press on his retirement. It was one of three similar models at the Bureau.
Donated by Clifford Firmbach, 1990.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
Early 20th century
date made
early 20th century
printer
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
ID Number
1990.0524.01
accession number
1990.0524
catalog number
1990.0524.01
This engraved woodblock of a man walking beneath a bare tree was prepared in about 1880 by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology.Currently not on view
Description
This engraved woodblock of a man walking beneath a bare tree was prepared in about 1880 by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
ID Number
1980.0219.0143
catalog number
1980.0219.0143
accession number
1980.0219
This engraved woodblock of the “Parsee Towers of Silence (interior).” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 3 on page 104 in an article by H.C.
Description
This engraved woodblock of the “Parsee Towers of Silence (interior).” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 3 on page 104 in an article by H.C. Yarrow (1871-1876) entitled “Mortuary Customs of North American Indians” in the First Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1879-80. Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) engraved the image.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
author
Yarrow, Harry Crecy
ID Number
1980.0219.1356
catalog number
1980.0219.1356
accession number
1980.0219

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