Communications - Overview
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.
"Communications - Overview" showing 19 items.
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Portrait of Abraham Lincoln
- Description
- William Pate & Co. of New York published this portrait of Lincoln in 1869. The engraver, Henry Gugler, is best known for his bank-note work. Although the copyright notice below the print indicates the source as an original painting by J. H. Littlefield, who was once a clerk in Lincoln's law office, the image was based on a photograph made in the Mathew Brady studio in 1864. Perhaps Littlefield made a painting after the photograph that Gugler then engraved. The Brady studio photograph of Lincoln also served as the model for the engraving that appeared on the five-dollar bill and for other portrait prints.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1869
- engraver
- Gugler, Henry
- original artist
- Littlefield, J. H.
- artist attribution
- Brady, Mathew B.
- publisher
- William Pate & Co.
- ID Number
- GA*03352
- catalog number
- 03352
- accession number
- 23155
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Buffalo Chase
- Description
- Wohaw, aka Beef, Wolf Robe, Gu hau de (Kiowa),
- drawn between 1875 and 1878 at Fort Marion, Florida
- "Buffalo Chase"
- Collected by Richard Henry Pratt about 1878
- Pencil, colored pencil, and watercolor
- Wohaw's drawing shows a party of Kiowa warriors participating in a buffalo hunt. The warriors ride tightly together behind the herd. One buffalo has been successfully killed.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1875-1878
- original artist
- Wohaw
- ID Number
- 2008.0175.53
- catalog number
- 2008.0175.053
- accession number
- 2008.0175
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
In Pursuit of Game
- Description
- Shave Head, or O-uk-ste-uh (Cheyenne),
- drawn between 1875 and 1878 at Fort Marion, Florida
- “In Pursuit of Game”
- Collected by Richard Henry Pratt about 1878
- Pencil, colored pencil, ink and colored ink
- This drawing shows two Cheyenne warriors hiding and hunting in a wooded area. Buffalo, elk, a turkey, and a flying bird are present. One of the warriors points his rifle towards the elk and buffalo. The other warrior aims his arrow at the flying bird.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1875-1878
- original artist
- Shave Head
- ID Number
- 2008.0175.55
- accession number
- 2008.0175
- catalog number
- 2008.0175.055
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Engraving of fish species "Nematoenys inermis"
- Description
- William Dougal (1822–1895) of Washington, D.C. engraved this print of “Nematogenys inermis [Grd]” from an original sketch by John H. Richard (c.1807–1881) of Philadelphia. The illustration was published in 1855 by A.O.P. Nicholson in Washington, D.C. as Plate XXXII in the “Reptiles, fishes, crustacea” section of volume II of The United States Naval Astronomical Survey to the Southern Hemisphere, written by Charles Girard (1822–1895).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1855
- original artist
- Richard, John H.
- graphic artist
- Dougal, William H.
- printer
- Nicholson, A. O. P.
- publisher
- United States Navy
- author
- Girard, Charles
- Gilliss, James Melville
- ID Number
- 2008.0175.17
- accession number
- 2008.0175
- catalog number
- 2008.0175.17
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Engraving of fossilized "Mastodon Andium"
- Description
- William Dougal (1822–1895) of Washington, D.C. engraved this print of “Mastodon andium,” from an original sketch by John H. Richard (c.1807–1881) of Philadelphia. The illustration was published in 1855 by A.O.P. Nicholson in Washington, D.C. as Plate XIII in the “Paleontology: fossil mammals” section of volume II of The United States Naval Astronomical Survey to the Southern Hemisphere, written by Jeffries Wyman (1814–1874).
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date of book publication
- 1855
- original artist
- Richard, John H.
- graphic artist
- Dougal, William H.
- printer
- Nicholson, A. O. P.
- publisher
- United States Navy
- author
- Gilliss, James Melville
- ID Number
- 2008.0175.24
- accession number
- 2008.0175
- catalog number
- 2008.0175.24
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Engraving of fish species "Belone scrulator"
- Description
- William Dougal (1822–1895) of Washington, D.C. engraved this print of “Belone scrulator [Grd]”, now "Strongylura marina" or Atlantic needlefish, from an original sketch by John H. Richard (c.1807–1881) of Philadelphia. The illustration was printed as Plate 13 in the “Fishes” section of the second part of volume II of the Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, which was written by Charles Girard (1822–1895). The volume was printed in 1859 by Cornelius Wendell of Washington, D.C.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date of book publication
- 1859
- publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- original artist
- Richard, John H.
- graphic artist
- Dougal, William H.
- printer
- Wendell, Cornelius
- author
- Girard, Charles
- Emory, William H.
- publisher
- U.S. Army
- ID Number
- 2009.0115.058
- catalog number
- 2009.0115.058
- accession number
- 2009.0115
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Engraving of toad and salamander species"Scaphiopus couchii, Amblystoma proserpina, Amblystoma texana"
- Description
- William Dougal (1822–1895) of Washington, D.C. engraved this print of “Scaphiopus couchii [Baird], Ambytoma proserpina [B & G], and Ambystoma texana [Baird]”—; now Scaphiopus couchii (Couch’s spadefoot or Spadefoot toad), "Ambystoma mavortium" (Western tiger salamander) and "Ambystoma texanum" (Texas salamander); from an original sketch by John H. Richard (c. 1807–1881) of Philadelphia. The illustration was printed as Plate 35 in the “Reptiles” section of the second part of volume II of the Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, written by S.F. Baird (1823–1887). The volume was printed in 1859 by Cornelius Wendell of Washington, D.C.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date of book publication
- 1859
- author
- Baird, Spencer Fullerton
- original artist
- Richard, John H.
- graphic artist
- Dougal, William H.
- printer
- Wendell, Cornelius
- author
- Emory, William H.
- publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- U.S. Army
- ID Number
- 2009.0115.059
- catalog number
- 2009.0115.059
- accession number
- 2009.0115
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Engraving of lizard species "Crotaphylus wislizenii"
- Description
- William Dougal (1822–1895) of Washington, D.C. engraved this print of “Crotaphylus wislizenii [sic] [B & G],” now "Gambelia wislizenii" or Longnose leopard lizard, from an original sketch by John H. Richard (c.1807–1881) of Philadelphia. The illustration was printed as Plate 31 in the “Reptiles” section of the second part of volume II of the Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, written by S.F. Baird (1823–1887). The volume was printed in 1859 by Cornelius Wendell of Washington, D.C.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date of book publication
- 1859
- author
- Baird, Spencer Fullerton
- original artist
- Richard, John H.
- graphic artist
- Dougal, William H.
- printer
- Wendell, Cornelius
- author
- Emory, William H.
- publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- ID Number
- 2009.0115.060
- catalog number
- 2009.0115.060
- accession number
- 2009.0115
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Engraving of frog species "Batrachyla longipes, Heloecetes clarii, Ylarana fusca, Acris archeta"
- Description
- William Dougal (1822–1895) of Washington, D.C. engraved this print of “Batrachyla longipes [Baird], Heloecetes clarkia [Baird], Hylarana fusca [Baird], and Acris archeta [sic] [Baird]," now "Eleutherodactylus longipes" (Long–footed frog, Long–footed robber frog, or Longfoot robber frog), "Pseudacris clarkia" (Clark’s tree frog, Clark’s striped tree frog, or Spotted chorus frog), Hylarana fusca [Baird], and "Acris gryllus" (Cricket frog); from an original sketch by John H. Richard (c.1807–1881) of Philadelphia. The illustration was printed as Plate 37 in the “Reptiles” section of the second part of volume II of the Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, written by S.F. Baird (1823–1887). The volume was printed in 1859 by Cornelius Wendell of Washington, D.C.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date of book publication
- 1859
- author
- Baird, Spencer Fullerton
- original artist
- Richard, John H.
- graphic artist
- Dougal, William H.
- printer
- Wendell, Cornelius
- author
- Emory, William H.
- publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- U.S. Army
- ID Number
- 2009.0115.061
- catalog number
- 2009.0115.061
- accession number
- 2009.0115
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Engraving of lizard species "Phrynosoma regale, Doliosaurus m'callii"
- Description
- William Dougal (1822–1895) of Washington, D.C. engraved this print of “Phrynosoma regale [Girard] and Doliosaurus m’callii [Girard]”—now "Phrynosoma solare" (Regal horned lizard) and "Phrynosoma mcallii" (Flat–tail horned lizard); from an original sketch by John H. Richard (c.1807–1881) of Philadelphia. The illustration was printed as Plate 28 in the “Reptiles” section of the second part of volume II of the Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, written by S.F. Baird (1823–1887). The volume was printed in 1859 by Cornelius Wendell of Washington, D.C.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date of book publication
- 1859
- author
- Baird, Spencer Fullerton
- original artist
- Richard, John H.
- graphic artist
- Dougal, William H.
- printer
- Wendell, Cornelius
- author
- Emory, William H.
- publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- U.S. Army
- ID Number
- 2009.0115.062
- catalog number
- 2009.0115.062
- accession number
- 2009.0115
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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