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.

Date: 1880s

Daisy press

This rail press, on a Museum-made base, has an unknown maker; it dates from about 1885.
Description (Brief)
This rail press, on a Museum-made base, has an unknown maker; it dates from about 1885. The press has a height of 4 inches a width of 3.5 inches and a length of 9 inches; its chase measures 1.5 inches by 2.75 inches.
The press like other Daisys, the Bonanza, and the Favorite were probably all made by Ives, Blakeslee of New York (later Ives Blakeslee Williams). The company dealt in novelties and was the principal distributing—and perhaps manufacturing—company for rail presses at the end of the nineteenth century. Their line included presses called the Boss, the Favorite, the Daisy, the Leader, and other very similar rail presses.
Donated by William Miner, 1976.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1885
maker
Ives, Blakeslee & Co.
ID Number
GA.24232
accession number
322684
catalog number
24232

Telegraph Key

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.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1884
maker
Electrical Supply Co.
ID Number
EM.221143
catalog number
221143
accession number
41460

Patent Model of a Multiple Color Printing Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for improvements in the smooth movement of multicolor presses. The invention was granted patent number 228517.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for improvements in the smooth movement of multicolor presses. The invention was granted patent number 228517.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
patent date
1880-06-08
maker
Crump, Samuel
ID Number
GA.89797.228517
accession number
089797
patent number
228517
catalog number
GA*89797.228517

Patent model for the art of decorating wood and other opaque bodies

This patent model demonstrates an invention for the art of decorating wood and other opaque bodies; for coating the surface, for decorating with bright metal foil, or polished metal, then painting and lacquering over that metallic base to produce brilliancy in the design.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for the art of decorating wood and other opaque bodies; for coating the surface, for decorating with bright metal foil, or polished metal, then painting and lacquering over that metallic base to produce brilliancy in the design. The invention was granted patent number 333127.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1885
patent date
1885-12-29
patentee
Hyland, William
ID Number
GA.89797.333127
accession number
089797
patent number
333127
catalog number
GA*89797.333127

Clamshell jobber

This platen jobber with simple clamshell mechanism, has an unknown maker and dates from about 1880; its chase measures 6.5 inches by 10 inches.Simple clamshell jobbers like this one were distributed by dealers, often without a maker name or with a name customized for the distribu
Description (Brief)
This platen jobber with simple clamshell mechanism, has an unknown maker and dates from about 1880; its chase measures 6.5 inches by 10 inches.
Simple clamshell jobbers like this one were distributed by dealers, often without a maker name or with a name customized for the distributor. This press is similar to a press distributed by Damon & Peets of New York as the “Favorite.”
Donated by Frederick J. Schmidt in the name of Joachim P. E. Schmidt, 1973.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
circa 1880
date made
ca 1880
maker
unknown
ID Number
GA.23753
accession number
305068
catalog number
GA*23753

Telegraph Key

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.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
ID Number
EM.331461
accession number
294351
catalog number
331461
collector/donor number
03-38

Patent Model of a Book-Stitching Machine

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a book-stitching machine which was granted patent number 232446 in 1880. This was an improvement on Boynton's earlier patent, number 203530 in 1878, and allowed for easier adjustment for books of different sizes.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a book-stitching machine which was granted patent number 232446 in 1880. This was an improvement on Boynton's earlier patent, number 203530 in 1878, and allowed for easier adjustment for books of different sizes. The model is damaged.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
patent date
1880-09-21
maker
Boynton, Edward S.
ID Number
GA.24910
patent number
232447
catalog number
GA*24910
accession number
1978.1070
patent number
232,447
catalog number
24910

Telegraph Key

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.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
maker
E. S. Greeley & Company
ID Number
EM.331462
accession number
294351
collector/donor number
03-42
catalog number
331462

Patent Model of a Plate-printing Machine

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a D-cylinder press with improved movement which was granted patent number 224132.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a D-cylinder press with improved movement which was granted patent number 224132.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
patent date
1880-02-03
maker
Bogart, Albert H.
ID Number
GA.89797.224132
patent number
224132
accession number
89797
catalog number
GA*879797.224132

Greeley telegraph relay with key

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.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1883
maker
E. S. Greeley & Company
ID Number
EM.331828
accession number
294351
catalog number
331828
collector/donor number
100-031

Patent Model of a Platen Printing Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a platen printing press which was granted patent number 256891. This patent was applied to Golding's Official press.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a platen printing press which was granted patent number 256891. This patent was applied to Golding's Official press. It included several mechanisms for a platen press, notably for conveying movement to the platen, the ink disk, and the distributor, and for adjusting the platen.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1882
patent date
1882-04-25
maker
Golding, William H.
ID Number
GA.89797.256891
patent number
256891
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.256891

Telegraph Resonator

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. A resonator like this was used to amplify the sound, making it easier for an operator to hear his or her own sounder when working in a room filled with these devices. Units made of paper mache were used in the Western and Southern Divisons of Western Union.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880
ID Number
EM.332782
accession number
294351
collector/donor number
07-03
catalog number
332782

Telegraph Key

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.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
maker
J. H. Bunnell & Co.
ID Number
EM.320515
catalog number
320515
accession number
241402

A Polish Trading Post In New York

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1884
graphic artist
Harper & Brothers
original artist
Berghaus, Albert
ID Number
GA.311495.01
accession number
311495
catalog number
311495.01

Young America "Secretary Press"

This self-inking, bench-top, lever press was is known as a Young America, Circular Press. It was manufactured after 1870 until about 1895 by Joseph Watson, of the Young American Company, in New York.
Description (Brief)
This self-inking, bench-top, lever press was is known as a Young America, Circular Press. It was manufactured after 1870 until about 1895 by Joseph Watson, of the Young American Company, in New York. The press has a height of ?
Like other Young Americans described here separately this press style came in different sizes, each size denoted by a different name. The 4 inch by 6 inch platen was called the Circular.
Donated by Stan Harris, 2001.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Personal Impressions, The Small Printing Press in Nineteenth-Century America, 2004.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
c. 1880
date made
after 1870
maker
Watson, Joseph
ID Number
2001.0274.03
catalog number
2001.0274.03
accession number
2001.0274

Patent model for paper-cutting machine

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a paper cutter with a stationary blade. A table and paper clamp rose obliquely against the blade. The invention was granted patent number 227803.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a paper cutter with a stationary blade. A table and paper clamp rose obliquely against the blade. The invention was granted patent number 227803.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
patent date
1880-05-18
maker
Malm, Alexander
ID Number
GA.89797.227803
patent number
227803
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.223803

Favorite press

This rail press was sold by Ives Blakeslee of New York in about 1885. Its original box, with an advertizing label on the end, includes type and accessories.
Description (Brief)
This rail press was sold by Ives Blakeslee of New York in about 1885. Its original box, with an advertizing label on the end, includes type and accessories. It is marked “IB.” The press has a height of 6 inches a width of 4 inches and a length of 11.5 inches; its chase measures 2 inches by 3.5 inches.
Donated by Penny Speckter, 1988.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
date made
ca 1885
maker
Ives, Blakeslee & Co.
ID Number
1988.0823.01
accession number
1988.0823
catalog number
1988.0823.01

Partrick & Carter "Marean" telegraph repeater

Telegraph repeaters 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 repeaters 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, limiting the distance a message could travel. Repeaters remedied that problem by detecting a weak signal and using a local power source to re-energize and re-transmit the signal down the line.
This ornate repeater was designed by Morell Marean, manager of the Western Union Office in Washington, DC. The unit was made by the Philadelphia firm of Partrick & Carter around 1880. According to a note found with the repeater it was used in a telegraph station on or near Cape Henry, Virginia.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
maker
Partrick, Carter & Co.
ID Number
EM.232581.02
catalog number
232581.02
accession number
43626

Colts Armory Universal jobber

The platen jobber, with parallel impression mechanism, was made by the Colts Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company in Hartford, in about 1886. It includes some broken parts.
Description (Brief)
The platen jobber, with parallel impression mechanism, was made by the Colts Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company in Hartford, in about 1886. It includes some broken parts. Its chase measures 7 inches by 11 inches.
The Colts press derives from a patent awarded to Merritt Gally in 1869 for a motion that gave the platen a true parallel approach to the bed. Gally’s press, the original Universal, was produced for him by John Thomson at the Colts Armory plant in Hartford, Connecticut. In about 1885 Gally and Thomson separated. Thomson began producing his own version of the press, citing his patent of 1886 and naming his press the Colts Armory press.
This specimen, with open sides, was one of Thomson’s early models. Later and larger presses included heavier frames with continuous sides. The Colts Armory-style presses were well designed and built, and had a reputation for excellence.
Purchased in 1985.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
circa 1886
date made
ca 1886
maker
Colt’s Armory
ID Number
1985.0559.03
accession number
1985.0559
catalog number
1985.0559.03
1985.0559.03

H. M. Bansen billhead

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1882
ID Number
2012.0093.05
accession number
2012.0093
catalog number
2012.0093.05

Daisy press

This rail press with its original wooden box and printing outfit, by an unknown maker, dates to about 1885.
Description (Brief)
This rail press with its original wooden box and printing outfit, by an unknown maker, dates to about 1885. The press has a height of 4 inches a width of 3.5 inches and a length of 9 inches; its chase measures 1.5 inches by 2.75 inches.
The Daisy press, the Bonanza, and the Favorite were probably made by the Ives, Blakeslee company of New York (later Ives Blakeslee Williams). The company dealt in novelties and was the principal distributing—and perhaps manufacturing—company for rail presses at the end of the nineteenth century. Their line included the Boss, the Favorite, the Daisy, the Leader, and other very similar rail presses.
Donated by Penny Speckter, 1988.
Citation: Elizabeth Harris, "Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," 1996.
date made
ca 1885
maker
Ives, Blakeslee & Co.
ID Number
1988.0823.02
catalog number
1988.0823.02
accession number
1988.0823

Telegraph Sounder

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. This unusual sounder includes a switch on the base. Presumably this allows the operator to switch between different telegraph lines.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
ID Number
EM.332354
collector/donor number
06-27
accession number
294351
catalog number
332354

main-line telegraph relay

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 Western Electric unit were one of the most common types of relay and, as seen in this piece, 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. Better known for their Bell System telephone equipment, Western Electric manufactured a wide range of electrical devices.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880
maker
Western Electric
ID Number
EM.331933
accession number
294351
catalog number
331933
collector/donor number
04-23

Telegraph Key

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.
This key shows a special set of contact wheels that are designed to prevent sticking of the contacts due to dirt or corrosion. The technique was disclosed in two 1882 US patents: 256645 issued to George Cummings, and 256646 issued to Cummings and Clara Brinkerhoff.
Location
Currently on loan
date made
1881
maker
L. G. Tillotson & Co.
ID Number
EM.221144
catalog number
221144
accession number
41460

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