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.

Hercules on his funeral pyre at Mt Oeta

Trimmed at the plate mark. Guido Reni's four paintings of the Labors of Hercules, once part of the collection of England's King Charles I, were purchased by the French King Louis XIV in 1662 and engraved by Rousselet in 1669-1670.
Description
Trimmed at the plate mark. Guido Reni's four paintings of the Labors of Hercules, once part of the collection of England's King Charles I, were purchased by the French King Louis XIV in 1662 and engraved by Rousselet in 1669-1670. The copper plates survive in the Chalcography of the Louvre. This impression probably was made in the 18th century.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th century
original artist
Reni, Guido
graphic artist
Rousselet, Gilles
ID Number
1978.0534.07
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.07

Dogs and Still Life

Engraving after painting attributed to Charles Jervas once in the Dressing Room at Houghton, Now in State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol.
Description
Engraving after painting attributed to Charles Jervas once in the Dressing Room at Houghton, Now in State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1.One of two prints with same title mounted on same page. The paintings are now considered likely to be copies by Jervas after Paul de Vos. This one shows two dogs and a cat facing off over dead birds, with a large cabbage at lower right.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1778
original artist
Vos, Paul de
engraver
Canot, Pierre Charles
delineator
Farington, Joseph
publisher
Boydell, John
artist attribution
Jervas, Charles
ID Number
1978.0534.02.68
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.02.68

The Sportsman

Engraving after original painting by Gaspard Dughet [called Poussin] once in the Gallery at Houghton. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, with descriptive title Wooded Landscape. Print removed from George P. Marsh's copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1.
Description
Engraving after original painting by Gaspard Dughet [called Poussin] once in the Gallery at Houghton. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, with descriptive title Wooded Landscape. Print removed from George P. Marsh's copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1. Pencil note on mounting sheet "Taken out for framing Mar. 16, 1894." SI Secretary's Library stamp embossed in margin below image.
The painter Gaspard Dughet took the name Poussin after the French artist Nicolas Poussin, his mentor and the husband of his sister.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1775
delineator
Farington, Joseph
publisher
Boydell, John
engraver
Browne, John
original artist
Dughet, Gaspard
ID Number
1978.0534.02.50
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.02.50

The Shepherd

Engraving from original painting by P. P. Roos (also known as Rosa da Tivoli) once in the Embroider’d Bed Chamber at Houghton. Originally in the Hermitage Palace, later in the Gatchina Palace; believed to have been sold during the 1920s; current location unknown.
Description
Engraving from original painting by P. P. Roos (also known as Rosa da Tivoli) once in the Embroider’d Bed Chamber at Houghton. Originally in the Hermitage Palace, later in the Gatchina Palace; believed to have been sold during the 1920s; current location unknown. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1778
engraver
Canot, Pierre Charles
delineator
Farington, Joseph
publisher
Boydell, John
original artist
Roos, Philipp Peter
ID Number
1978.0534.02.60
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.02.60

The Assumption of the Virgin

Mezzotint after painting by Niccolo Berrettoni, once in the Carlo Marratta Room at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Print removed from George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 2.Currently not on view
Description
Mezzotint after painting by Niccolo Berrettoni, once in the Carlo Marratta Room at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Print removed from George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 2.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1783
publisher
Boydell, John
engraver
Dunkarton, Robert
original artist
Berrettoni, Niccolo
ID Number
1978.0534.03.48
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.03.48

Adoration of the Shepherds

Stipple engraving after painting by Carlo Cignani, once in the Common Parlour at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the Catherine Palace, Tsarskoye Selo State Museum Reserve, Russia, as The Adoration of the Shepherds. Print removed from George P.
Description
Stipple engraving after painting by Carlo Cignani, once in the Common Parlour at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the Catherine Palace, Tsarskoye Selo State Museum Reserve, Russia, as The Adoration of the Shepherds. Print removed from George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 2.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1780
delineator
Farington, George
publisher
Boydell, John
graphic artist
Michel, Jean Baptiste
original artist
Cignani, Carlo
ID Number
1978.0534.03.19
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.03.19

Return of the Prodigal Son

Reversed copy after Rembrandt,attributed to [Salomon] Savery. Dated 1636; 6 is reversed. See NHD 159, copy a, state III; Hind 147; Biorklund-Barnard 36-D.Currently not on view
Description
Reversed copy after Rembrandt,attributed to [Salomon] Savery. Dated 1636; 6 is reversed. See NHD 159, copy a, state III; Hind 147; Biorklund-Barnard 36-D.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1636
original artist
Rembrandt van Rijn
ID Number
1978.0534.47
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.47

A Lioness and Two Lions

Engraving with etching after painting formerly attributed to Peter Paul Rubens once in the Gallery at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, attributed to the school of Frans Snyders, as A Lioness and Two Lions.
Description
Engraving with etching after painting formerly attributed to Peter Paul Rubens once in the Gallery at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, attributed to the school of Frans Snyders, as A Lioness and Two Lions. Print removed from George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 2. Marsh probably wrote the numeral 37 in pencil in the lower left margin.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1782
engraver
Walker, William
artist attribution
Rubens, Peter Paul
publisher
Boydell, John
delineator
Earlom, Richard
artist attribution
Snyders, Frans
ID Number
1978.0534.03.39
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.03.39

Sir Robert Walpole

Mezzotint, trimmed, after portrait by J. B. Van Loo, once in the Blue Damask Bedroom at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Print removed from George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 2.
Description
Mezzotint, trimmed, after portrait by J. B. Van Loo, once in the Blue Damask Bedroom at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Print removed from George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 2. This was the volume's frontispiece. SI Secretary's Library stamp embossed in lower margin.
Walpole, Earl of Orford and the first Prime Minister of Great Britain, built Houghton Hall where the paintings reproduced for the two-volume work, The Houghton Gallery, were displayed before their sale to Catherine the Great of Russia in 1779.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1788
graphic artist
Watson, James
original artist
Van Loo, Jean-Baptiste
publisher
Boydell, John
Boydell, Josiah
maker
Boydell, John
Boydell, Josiah
ID Number
1978.0534.03.01
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.03.01

A Hunting Piece

Engraving after painting by John Wootton once in the Hunting Hall at Houghton. Originally in the Hermitage Palace, later in the Gatchina Palace; disappeared during World War II. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol.
Description
Engraving after painting by John Wootton once in the Hunting Hall at Houghton. Originally in the Hermitage Palace, later in the Gatchina Palace; disappeared during World War II. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1778
engraver
Lerpiniere, Daniel
original artist
Wootton, John
publisher
Boydell, John
ID Number
1978.0534.02.87
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.02.87

Venus Bathing and Cupids

Line engraving after original painting attributed to Andrea Sacchi once in the Common Parlour at Houghton. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1.Currently not on view
Description
Line engraving after original painting attributed to Andrea Sacchi once in the Common Parlour at Houghton. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1775
delineator
Farington, Joseph
publisher
Boydell, John
engraver
Mason, James
artist attribution
Sacchi, Andrea
ID Number
1978.0534.02.48
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.02.48

Portrait of an Old Woman

Mezzotint after original painting by Rembrandt once in the Common Parlour at Houghton. Now in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow, with descriptive title, Portrait of an Old Woman. Print removed from George P. Marsh's copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1.
Description
Mezzotint after original painting by Rembrandt once in the Common Parlour at Houghton. Now in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow, with descriptive title, Portrait of an Old Woman. Print removed from George P. Marsh's copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1. Pencil note on mounting sheet indicates print was taken out for Cincinnati Exhibition, 1888.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1777
engraver
Earlom, Richard
original artist
Rembrandt van Rijn
delineator
Farington, George
publisher
Boydell, John
ID Number
1978.0534.02.65
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.02.65

Holy Family with Saint Anne and two angels

Line engraving. Trimmed inside plate mark; mounted on manilla sheet within ink-ruled border. Four lines of Latin verse in lower margin signed F. Valerini.
Description
Line engraving. Trimmed inside plate mark; mounted on manilla sheet within ink-ruled border. Four lines of Latin verse in lower margin signed F. Valerini. Later edition of 1593 imprint [?] published by Sadeler in Venice.
Marsh Collection; sent to Corcoran Gallery in 1874 and returned to SI in 1896. Oval embossed stamp, SI Secretary's Library.
See Hollstein 79.
Location
Currently not on view
original artist
Aachen, Hans von
maker
Sadeler II, Aegidius
ID Number
1978.0534.51
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.51

The Holy Family beneath a Palm Tree

Mezzotint after painting attributed to Carlo Marratta, once in the Carlo Marratta Room at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the Palekh Museum, Russia, with its attribution in question. Print removed from George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol.
Description
Mezzotint after painting attributed to Carlo Marratta, once in the Carlo Marratta Room at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the Palekh Museum, Russia, with its attribution in question. Print removed from George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 2.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1783
artist attribution
Maratti, Carlo
publisher
Boydell, John
engraver
Dunkarton, Robert
ID Number
1978.0534.03.49
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.03.49

Europa

Line engraving from original painting by Paul Bril once in the Gallery at Houghton. Now in Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow. Also known as Landscape with Nymphs at Rest. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1.
Description
Line engraving from original painting by Paul Bril once in the Gallery at Houghton. Now in Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow. Also known as Landscape with Nymphs at Rest. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1. The figures in Bril's painting are attributed to Domenichino; the figures were engraved by Francesco Bartolozzi. Joseph Farington delineated the painting for the engravers to follow, and John Browne engraved the landscape.
date made
1776
engraver
Browne, John
delineator
Farington, Joseph
publisher
Boydell, John
original artist
Bril, Paul
engraver
Bartolozzi, Francesco
ID Number
1978.0534.02.41
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.02.41

Africa

Line engraving from original painting by Paul Bril once in the Gallery at Houghton, Now in State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, and attributed to the circle of Paul Bril. Also known as Landscape with Exotic Beasts. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P.
Description
Line engraving from original painting by Paul Bril once in the Gallery at Houghton, Now in State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, and attributed to the circle of Paul Bril. Also known as Landscape with Exotic Beasts. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1.
date made
1775
publisher
Boydell, John
engraver
Browne, John
delineator
Farington, Joseph
artist attribution
Bril, Paul
ID Number
1978.0534.02.42
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.02.42

Portraits of Hounds

Mezzotint with stipple and etching after painting by John Wootton once in the Hunting Hall at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. The painting does not seem to have been included in the sale to Catherine II of Russia, although it was engraved for the volume of prints.
Description
Mezzotint with stipple and etching after painting by John Wootton once in the Hunting Hall at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. The painting does not seem to have been included in the sale to Catherine II of Russia, although it was engraved for the volume of prints. Present location of the painting is unknown. Print removed from George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 2.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1780
engraver
Earlom, Richard
graphic artist
Farington, Joseph
publisher
Boydell, John
original artist
Wootton, John
ID Number
1978.0534.03.24
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.03.24

Engine Room From Coast Guard Buoy Tender Oak

This engine room is from the U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender Oak. The Oak was built for the U.S. Light House Bureau in 1921 by Consolidated Shipbuilding Corporation of Bronx, New York, and measured 160 feet long and 875 tons displacement. It was transferred to the U. S.
Description
This engine room is from the U.S. Coast Guard buoy tender Oak. The Oak was built for the U.S. Light House Bureau in 1921 by Consolidated Shipbuilding Corporation of Bronx, New York, and measured 160 feet long and 875 tons displacement. It was transferred to the U. S. Coast Guard in 1939, when that agency succeeded the Light House Bureau.
Buoy tenders are known as the “Black Fleet” within the Coast Guard. Their hulls are painted black to hide the unavoidable scrapes and bumps from hauling buoys and channel markers. The spacious deck in the forward part of the ship was designed to carry buoys, concrete sinkers or anchors for buoys, mooring chain to attach the buoy to the concrete sinker, and other heavy material. The deck also provides work space for repair and maintenance of buoys.
The engine that powered the Oak is a 750-horsepower, triple expansion, three-cylinder steam engine, capable of moving the vessel at a maximum speed of nine knots with a cruising range of 1,300 nautical miles. It drove a single propeller approximately 8 feet 6 inches in diameter. The engine is 18 feet in length, 6 feet wide, and 16 feet high, and weighs approximately 25 tons. It is representative of engines used in small, coastal vessels from approximately 1890 to 1930.
For more than 40 years, in all kinds of weather, the Oak, its four officers and 23-man crew were responsible for setting, inspecting, repairing, and replacing hundreds of buoys, like the one in On The Water, that marked channels and shoals in and around New York Harbor, one of the world’s most important ports. In 1963, the Oak was transferred from the U. S. Coast Guard to the Smithsonian. The engine and radio room were removed from the Oak in 1971 and installed in the Museum in 1974.
date made
1921
ID Number
1979.0518.01
accession number
1979.0518
catalog number
1979.0518.01

Venus Sleeping

Stipple engraving after painting formerly attributed to Annibale Carracci once in the Cabinet at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg as Sleeping Venus from the circle of Carracci. Print removed from George P.
Description
Stipple engraving after painting formerly attributed to Annibale Carracci once in the Cabinet at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg as Sleeping Venus from the circle of Carracci. Print removed from George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 2.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1785
maker
Carracci
artist attribution
Carracci, Annibale
engraver
Bartolozzi, Francesco
publisher
Boydell, John
ID Number
1978.0534.03.67
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.03.67

The Fisherman

Engraving after original painting by Gaspard Dughet [called Poussin] once in the Gallery at Houghton. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, with descriptive title Landscape with a Fisherman. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P.
Description
Engraving after original painting by Gaspard Dughet [called Poussin] once in the Gallery at Houghton. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, with descriptive title Landscape with a Fisherman. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1.
The painter Gaspard Dughet took the name Poussin after the French artist Nicolas Poussin, his mentor and the husband of his sister.
date made
1775
original artist
Dughet, Gaspard
delineator
Farington, Joseph
publisher
Boydell, John
engraver
Mason, James
ID Number
1978.0534.02.51
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.02.51

A Fruit Market

Mezzotint after original painting by Frans Snyders once in the Gallery at Houghton. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Originally attributed to Snyders and Long John, a nickname for Jan Boeckhorst. Print removed from George P.
Description
Mezzotint after original painting by Frans Snyders once in the Gallery at Houghton. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Originally attributed to Snyders and Long John, a nickname for Jan Boeckhorst. Print removed from George P. Marsh's copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1. Notation on mounting sheet "Fruit Market. Snyders & Long John, pinxt. Richard Earlom sculp. Taken out for framing March 17, 1894." SI Secretary's Library stamp embossed below image to the left of title.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1775
engraver
Earlom, Richard
delineator
Farington, Joseph
publisher
Boydell, John
artist attribution
Boeckhorst, Jan
original artist
Snyders, Frans
ID Number
1978.0534.02.43
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.02.43

King Charles the First

Mezzotint after painting by Anthony van Dyck once in the Drawing Room at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1.
Description
Mezzotint after painting by Anthony van Dyck once in the Drawing Room at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, England. Now in the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1. A line engraving after this painting was included in vol. 2 of Marsh's set. See 1978.0534.03.69.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1778
original artist
Van Dyck, Anthony
publisher
Boydell, John
graphic artist
Boydell, Josiah
ID Number
1978.0534.02.79
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.02.79

Portrait of a young man

Engraving after painting by Frans Hals once in the Common Parlour at Houghton. Sent to the Hermitage Palace; sold to Andrew Mellon in 1930 and now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1.
Description
Engraving after painting by Frans Hals once in the Common Parlour at Houghton. Sent to the Hermitage Palace; sold to Andrew Mellon in 1930 and now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Print tipped onto sheet bound in George P. Marsh’s copy of The Houghton Gallery, vol. 1. Once considered a self-portrait of the Dutch artist; sitter not identified.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1777
original artist
Hals, Frans
engraver
Michel, Jean Baptiste
delineator
Farington, George
publisher
Boydell, John
ID Number
1978.0534.02.70
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.02.70

Roe Deer

Number 64 in a series of animal subjects drawn from life by Ridinger. Trimmed; artist's initials at right below image.Currently not on view
Description
Number 64 in a series of animal subjects drawn from life by Ridinger. Trimmed; artist's initials at right below image.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1740
maker
Ridinger, Johann Elias
ID Number
1978.0534.23
accession number
1978.0534
catalog number
1978.0534.23

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