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: 1870s

Patent Model of a Sheet-delivery Apparatus for Web Presses

This patent model demonstrates an invention for an improved paper folding mechanism which was granted patent number 215844.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for an improved paper folding mechanism which was granted patent number 215844.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1879
patent date
1879-05-27
maker
Tucker, Stephen D.
ID Number
GA.89797.215844
accession number
089797
patent number
215844
catalog number
GA*89797.215844

Patent Model of a Sheet-feed Apparatus for Cylinder Presses

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a sheet-feeding appratus which was granted patent number 140963. The patent model includes pivoted guiding fingers on the press feed board. The model is incomplete.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a sheet-feeding appratus which was granted patent number 140963. The patent model includes pivoted guiding fingers on the press feed board. The model is incomplete.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1873
patent date
1873-07-15
maker
Stoddard, Clarence H.
Norton, Edward D.
ID Number
GA.89797.140962
accession number
089797
patent number
140962
catalog number
GA*89797.140962

Patent Model of a Sheet Feed Apparatus for Bookbinding

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a sheet-feed apparatus which was granted patent number 114087.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a sheet-feed apparatus which was granted patent number 114087. This invention was intended for "use in connection with the pamphlet-covering apparatus" covered by another Clague and Randall application, but was adaptable to other bookbinding or printing machines. The model is damaged and incomplete.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1871
patent date
1871-04-25
maker
Andrews, Ezra R.
Randall, Robert B.
Clague, William H.
ID Number
GA.89797.114087
patent number
114087
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.114087

Patent Model of a Sheet-reversing Apparatus for Printing Machines

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a sheet-reversing apparatus which was granted patent number 214065. On a sheet-fed rotary press like Hoe's Type Revolving Press, an apparatus to turn each sheet for printing on the reverse side.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a sheet-reversing apparatus which was granted patent number 214065. On a sheet-fed rotary press like Hoe's Type Revolving Press, an apparatus to turn each sheet for printing on the reverse side.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1879
patent date
1879-04-08
maker
Tucker, Stephen D.
ID Number
GA.89797.214065
accession number
089797
patent number
214065
catalog number
GA*89797.214065

Patent model for inking apparatus for printing machines

This patent model demonstrates an invention for ink fountains with cleaning blades that overcame the problem of accumulated lint on the rollers; the invention was granted patent number 150762.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for ink fountains with cleaning blades that overcame the problem of accumulated lint on the rollers; the invention was granted patent number 150762.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1874
patent date
1874-05-12
patentee
Jones, Gilbert E.
ID Number
GA.89797.150762
accession number
089797
patent number
150762
catalog number
GA*89797.150762

Patent Model of a Book-stitching Machine

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a book-stitching machine which was granted patent number 150495.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a book-stitching machine which was granted patent number 150495. The machine includes a mechanism to protect needles in book-sewing machines: latches to hold the needles in position and an alarm bell to warn of approaching knots in the thread. Thompson was an inventor and manufacturer in the field of book stitching, stapling and sewing machines who also acquired interests in the inventions of others.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1874
patent date
1874-05-05
maker
Thompson, Henry G.
Parkhurst, Edward G.
ID Number
GA.89797.150495
patent number
150495
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.150495

Patent Model for a Rotary Perfecting Press

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a rotary printing press which was granted patent number 131217. The invention offers a new system of feeding, carrying, and delivering sheets for rotary perfecting presses.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a rotary printing press which was granted patent number 131217. The invention offers a new system of feeding, carrying, and delivering sheets for rotary perfecting presses. The model consists of the central group of feeding cylinders. According to Stephen D. Tucker’s History of R. Hoe & Company, a press on this plan was capable of printing 8000 sheets per hour and was used successfully by the New York Daily News.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1872
patent date
1872-09-10
maker
Tucker, Stephen D.
Hoe, Richard March
ID Number
GA.89797.131217
patent number
131217
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.131217

Patent model for stereotype block holders

This patent model demonstrates an invention for methods of fitting a printing block with underlays and overlays that could be left in place when the block was washed; the invention was granted patent number 146163.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for methods of fitting a printing block with underlays and overlays that could be left in place when the block was washed; the invention was granted patent number 146163.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1874
patent date
1874-01-06
patentee
Bryson, John
ID Number
GA.89797.146163
accession number
089797
patent number
146163
catalog number
GA*89797.146163

Patent model for adjustable card guides for Gordon presses

This patent model demonstrates an invention for two hinged plates representing the platen of the Gordon press and the shaft below it, on which the guides were mounted; the invention was granted patent number 111304.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for two hinged plates representing the platen of the Gordon press and the shaft below it, on which the guides were mounted; the invention was granted patent number 111304.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1871
patent date
1871-01-31
patentee
Bevans, Alexander L.
ID Number
GA.89797.111304
accession number
089797
patent number
111304
catalog number
GA*89797.111304

Patent model for numbering machine

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a consecutive numberer for a printing press; the invention was granted patent number 144196.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a consecutive numberer for a printing press; the invention was granted patent number 144196.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1873
patent date
1873-11-04
maker
Evans, Robert M.
ID Number
GA.89797.144196
patent number
144196
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.144196

Patent Model of a Sheet-delivery Apparatus for Web Presses

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a sheet delivery apparatus for a printing press which was granted patent number 214068. The patent details a sheet collecting and manipulating mechanism, with pasters, and folders, for high-speed delivery.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a sheet delivery apparatus for a printing press which was granted patent number 214068. The patent details a sheet collecting and manipulating mechanism, with pasters, and folders, for high-speed delivery.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1879
patent date
1879-04-08
maker
Tucker, Stephen D.
ID Number
GA.89797.214068
patent number
214068
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.214068

Patent Model of an Apparatus for Cleaning and Preserving Inking Rollers

This patent model demonstrates an invention for an apparatus for cleaning and preserving ink rollers. Racks of rollers were lowered into a bath of oil, where the rollers were cleaned and protected until their next use.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for an apparatus for cleaning and preserving ink rollers. Racks of rollers were lowered into a bath of oil, where the rollers were cleaned and protected until their next use. The invention was granted patent number 120043.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1871
patent date
1871-10-17
patentee
Crump, Samuel
ID Number
GA.89797.120043
patent number
120043
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.120043

Patent models for ink pads

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a strong, compact inking pad for canceling or dating stamps and other devices; the invention was granted patent number 135949.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a strong, compact inking pad for canceling or dating stamps and other devices; the invention was granted patent number 135949. The elastic stuffing of the pad was saturated with ink, which penetrated the cloth or chamois covering.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1873
patent date
1873-02-18
patentee
Towne, Henry R.
Taylor, Warren H.
ID Number
GA.89797.135949
patent number
135949
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.135949

Patent Model for Ink Fountains for Printing Presses

This patent model demonstrates an invention for an ink fountain for printing presses which was granted patent number 194218. The patent provided a way of controlling the flow of ink from the fountain, and avoiding the accumulation of lint on the doctor blade.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for an ink fountain for printing presses which was granted patent number 194218. The patent provided a way of controlling the flow of ink from the fountain, and avoiding the accumulation of lint on the doctor blade.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1877
patent date
1877-08-14
maker
Campbell, Andrew
ID Number
GA.89797.194218
accession number
089797
patent number
194218
194218
catalog number
GA*89797.194218

Patent Model of a Book-sewing Machine

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a book-sewing machine which was granted patent number 184961. The machine was capable of sewing a large number of volumes without stopping the machine. It was an improvement on an earlier machine patented by David M.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a book-sewing machine which was granted patent number 184961. The machine was capable of sewing a large number of volumes without stopping the machine. It was an improvement on an earlier machine patented by David M. Smyth.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1876
patent date
1876-12-05
maker
Glazier, George W.
ID Number
GA.89797.184961
patent number
184961
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.184961

Patent Model for Machines for Rounding and Backing Books

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a machine for automatically rounding and backing books using two shaped bars--the presser bar and the backing bar; the invention was granted patent number 158679.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a machine for automatically rounding and backing books using two shaped bars--the presser bar and the backing bar; the invention was granted patent number 158679.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
patent date
1875-01-12
maker
Coffin, John E.
ID Number
GA.89797.158679
patent number
158679
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.158679

Patent Model of a Machine for Rounding and Backing Books

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a machine for rounding and backing books which was granted patent number 184198. The patent detailed improved methods of guiding the book and controlling the rounding rollers.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a machine for rounding and backing books which was granted patent number 184198. The patent detailed improved methods of guiding the book and controlling the rounding rollers. Two books could be processed at once--one being rounded while the other was backed. Edwin Crawley, a Cincinnati bookbinder, continued to work on the problems of rounding and backing, and in 1891 introduced a machine that set industry standards for many years.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1876
patent date
1876-11-07
maker
Crawley, Edwin
Thomas, Frank
ID Number
GA.89797.184198
patent number
184198
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.184198

Patent Model for Type Molds

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a type mold; the invention was granted patent model 187880.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a type mold; the invention was granted patent model 187880. The patent details type molds in which the jet of the newly cast type was broken off automatically as the mold was opened, saving a separate operation in the typecasting process. Mason was from Islington in Middlesex, England. His invention was patented in England in 1877.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1877
patent date
1877-02-27
maker
Mason, Thomas
ID Number
GA.89797.187880
patent number
187880
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.187880

Patent Model of a Typesetting Machine

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a typesetting machine which was granted patent number 166549. The machine was named the Electro-Magnetic Type-Setting Machine.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a typesetting machine which was granted patent number 166549. The machine was named the Electro-Magnetic Type-Setting Machine. Type was stored in vertical channels (right-hand box) and dropped into a funnel at a touch on the keyboard (lefthand box). The falling type hit a see-saw lever, making an electrical connection and exciting electromagnets. The magnets moved sliding blocks, pushing the type into place into a galley. When a line of type was complete, the operator reset the adjustable back of the galley to make room for the next line.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
patent date
1875-08-10
maker
Pattyson, William D. C.
ID Number
GA.89797.166549
patent number
166549
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.166549

Patent Model of a Bookbinding Machine

This patent model demonstrates an invention for beveling boards for bookbinding; it was granted patent number 115621.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for beveling boards for bookbinding; it was granted patent number 115621.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1871
patent date
1871-06-06
maker
Lowey, Robert G.
ID Number
GA.89797.115621
patent number
115621
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.115621

Patent Model of a Book-Sewing Machine

This patent model demonstrates an invention for a book-sewing machine which was granted patent number 100407. The patent shows a system of supports for the long slender paper-sewing needles, which were apt to break in use.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for a book-sewing machine which was granted patent number 100407. The patent shows a system of supports for the long slender paper-sewing needles, which were apt to break in use.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1870
patent date
1870-03-01
maker
Howe, Frederick Webster
ID Number
GA.89797.100407
patent number
100407
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.100407

Engraved woodblock of "Marble Canyon"

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

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 (Brief)
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 duplex relay was made by Charles Williams, Jr. of Boston and used in experiments by Moses Farmer. Duplex relays operated in a system designed to send two messages simultaneously over the same wire. Williams had made duplex devices for Joseph Stearns who devised the first practical duplex system in 1868 and also made early telephone devices for Alexander Graham Bell.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1876
maker
Charles Williams, Jr.
ID Number
EM.181950
catalog number
181950
accession number
2015.0173

Patent model for rotary web perfecting press, with folding apparatus

This patent model demonstrates an invention for the Duplex Printing Machine which consisted of two printing machines working in unison to produce two perfected sheets at a time, and then fold and deliver them as one product.
Description (Brief)
This patent model demonstrates an invention for the Duplex Printing Machine which consisted of two printing machines working in unison to produce two perfected sheets at a time, and then fold and deliver them as one product. This patent was granted number 195115; it was purchased by and assigned to R. Hoe & Co.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1877
patent date
1877-09-11
patentee
Ford, Edward L.
ID Number
GA.89797.195115
patent number
195115
accession number
089797
catalog number
GA*89797.195115

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.