Telegraphist Collection

Sender of the S. O. S. Signal for Help, (April 20), 1912. Creator: Unknown
Sender of the " S. O. S." Signal for Help, (April 20), 1912. John George Phillips (nicknamed Jack, 1887-1912) was the ships senior wireless operator who tried to save the Titanic

Telegraphing pictures of a football cup final (b/w photo)
8626061 Telegraphing pictures of a football cup final (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Telegraphing pictures of a football cup final)

Wheatstone's needle (pointer) telegraph, 1890
3479996 Wheatstone's needle (pointer) telegraph, 1890; (add.info.: Wheatstone's needle (pointer) telegraph; the sender; left and receiver, 1890.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Wheatstone's Signal electromagnetic telegraph, 1890
3479994 Wheatstone's Signal electromagnetic telegraph, 1890; (add.info.: Wheatstone's Signal ABC electromagnetic telegraph.); Universal History Archive/UIG

The Chappe aerial telegraph, 19th century (engraving)
8724002 The Chappe aerial telegraph, 19th century (engraving); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Chappe aerial telegraph)

An electric Morse Register, manufactured by L. G. Tillotson & Co. New York in the late 1860s
6867173 An electric Morse Register, manufactured by L. G. Tillotson & Co. New York in the late 1860s. After an illustration in Modern Practice Of The Electric Telegraph

The Great Eastern recovering the lost Atlantic cable (colour litho)
8641663 The Great Eastern recovering the lost Atlantic cable (colour litho) by Dudley, Robert (fl.1865-91) (after); Private Collection; (add.info)

Major international telegraph cables (colour litho)
8663671 Major international telegraph cables (colour litho) by German School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

James Clerk Maxwell's great experiment, 19th Century (litho)
8673170 James Clerk Maxwell's great experiment, 19th Century (litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: James Clerk Maxwell's great experiment)

Cooke, Wheatstone needle telegraph used on the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway, 1845
3479950 Cooke, Wheatstone needle telegraph used on the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway, 1845; (add.info.: Cooke, Wheatstone needle telegraph used on the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway)

Receiving a message on a Morse printing telegraph, 1891
3479945 Receiving a message on a Morse printing telegraph, 1891; (add.info.: Receiving a message on a Morse printing telegraph.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Train dispatcher using a Morse key to send message down the line on the railway telegraph system, 1891
3479944 Train dispatcher using a Morse key to send message down the line on the railway telegraph system, 1891; (add.info)

Morse printing telegraph, 1891
3479940 Morse printing telegraph, 1891; (add.info.: Morse printing telegraph, showing transmitting key and roll of paper attached to the receiving instrument.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Morse-Disney printing telegraph equipment, 1891
3479936 Morse-Disney printing telegraph equipment, 1891; (add.info.: Morse-Digney printing telegraph equipment, showing the receiving instruments, left and transmitting key)

Ticker-tape machine at the stock exchange, 1881
3479639 Ticker-tape machine at the stock exchange, 1881; (add.info.: Ticker-tape machine at the stock exchange, 1881.); Universal History Archive/UIG

The bell of an office telegraph, 1874
3480051 The bell of an office telegraph, 1874; (add.info.: The bell of an office telegraph. No intercommunication was possible; but by means of a pre-arranged code; a number of messages could be sent)

Instrument room at the Electric Telegraph Office, 1860
3480042 Instrument room at the Electric Telegraph Office, 1860; (add.info.: Instrument room at the Electric Telegraph Office; Lothbury; London. 1860.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Mechanism of indicator (receiver) of Breguet's dial telegraph, 1891
3480031 Mechanism of indicator (receiver) of Breguet's dial telegraph, 1891; (add.info.: Mechanism of indicator (receiver) of Breguet's dial telegraph, 1891.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Alphabet of Foy and Breguet's needle telegraph, 1891
3480028 Alphabet of Foy and Breguet's needle telegraph, 1891; (add.info.: Alphabet of Foy and Breguet's needle telegraph; used on the Paris Rouen line from 1845)

Manipulator of Foy and Breguet's needle telegraph, 1845
3480025 Manipulator of Foy and Breguet's needle telegraph, 1845; (add.info.: Manipulator of Foy and Breguet's needle telegraph used on the Paris Rouen line from 1845)

Varley's vacuum tube lightning protector for electric telegraphs, 1882
3480016 Varley's vacuum tube lightning protector for electric telegraphs, 1882; (add.info.: Varley's vacuum tube lightning protector for electric telegraphs)

The principle of the Morse telegraph, 1887
3480014 The principle of the Morse telegraph, 1887; (add.info.: The principle of the Morse telegraph, 1887. Thus let E be a fixed electromagnet; the insulated wires of which are attached to the two)

The operating room at the General Post Office, 1874
3480011 The operating room at the General Post Office, 1874; (add.info.: The operating room at the General Post Office; St Martin's-Le-Grand; London)

The Australian Overland Telegraph, 1866
3480006 The Australian Overland Telegraph, 1866; (add.info.: The Australian Overland Telegraph: begun in 1870 and distance of 1700 miles (2745km)

Instrument room at the Electric Telegraph Office, 1855
3480004 Instrument room at the Electric Telegraph Office, 1855; (add.info.: Instrument room at the Electric Telegraph Office; Lothbury; London. 1855.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Cooke & Wheatstone's double needle telegraph, 1850
3479983 Cooke & Wheatstone's double needle telegraph, 1850; (add.info.: Cooke & Wheatstone's double needle telegraph)

Cowper's writing telegraph, 1879
3479981 Cowper's writing telegraph, 1879; (add.info.: Cowper's writing telegraph 1879. 1: complete apparatus. 2: the pen on the transmitter. 3: the pen on the receiver)

Shipping the Mediterranean telegraph cable at Morden Wharf, 1854
3479549 Shipping the Mediterranean telegraph cable at Morden Wharf, 1854; (add.info.: Shipping the Mediterranean telegraph cable at Morden Wharf, Greenwich, London)

The old Monarch laying Cable from England to Holland, 1853
3479548 The old Monarch laying Cable from England to Holland, 1853; (add.info.: The Adder and the Monarch laying the submarine telegraph cable between Orfordness England and Scheveningen Holland)

The Crimean War: Laying down telegraphy wires for communications, 1854
3479547 The Crimean War: Laying down telegraphy wires for communications, 1854; (add.info.: The Crimean War: Laying down telegraphy wires for communications, 1854.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Wagon carrying equipment for laying telegraph wires, 1854
3479475 Wagon carrying equipment for laying telegraph wires, 1854; (add.info.: Wagon carrying equipment for laying telegraph wires; Crimean war, 1854.); Universal History Archive/UIG

The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850
3359126 The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850; (add.info.: Engraving depicting the Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph)

The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850
3331062 The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850; (add.info.: Engraving depicting the Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph)

The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850
3331055 The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850; (add.info.: Engraving depicting the Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph)

The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850
3331053 The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850; (add.info.: Engraving depicting the Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph)

The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850
3331050 The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850; (add.info.: Engraving depicting the Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph)

The use of Mangin's optical telegraph, 1850
3480163 The use of Mangin's optical telegraph, 1850; (add.info.: Illustration depicting the use of Mangin's optical telegraph. Dated 19th Century.); Universal History Archive/UIG

A scene with the Post Office telegraph headquarters, 1850
3478429 A scene with the Post Office telegraph headquarters, 1850; (add.info.: Illustration depicting a scene with the Post Office telegraph headquarters in London)

The Great eastern steamship used to lift the Atlantic telegraph cable, 1866
3478949 The Great eastern steamship used to lift the Atlantic telegraph cable, 1866; (add.info.: The Great eastern steamship used to lift the Atlantic telegraph cable)

Testing the 1865 Atlantic telegraph cable on board the Great Eastern, 1866
3478944 Testing the 1865 Atlantic telegraph cable on board the Great Eastern, 1866; (add.info.: Testing the 1865 Atlantic telegraph cable on board the Great Eastern 17 August 1866)

The Atlantic telegraph message being received from the Great Eastern in the instrument room in Valencia, 1870
3478892 The Atlantic telegraph message being received from the Great Eastern in the instrument room in Valencia, 1870; (add.info)

Steam ship William Hutt, 1853
3479156 Steam ship William Hutt, 1853; (add.info.: Steam ship William Hutt laying out cable for the submarine telegraph between England and Belgium. Dated May 1853.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Eclectic telegraph cable, 1851
3479171 Eclectic telegraph cable, 1851; (add.info.: France and England connected by a submarine electric telegraph cable. London, dated 1851.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Landing the cable of the Falmouth Gibraltar and Mediterranean, 1870
3479167 Landing the cable of the Falmouth Gibraltar and Mediterranean, 1870; (add.info.: Landing the cable of the Falmouth Gibraltar and Mediterranean telegraph at Porthournew Bay, Cornwall)

King Edward VII visiting the Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850
3330985 King Edward VII visiting the Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850; (add.info.: Engraving depicting King Edward VII visiting the Great Eastern used during)

The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850
3330973 The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850; (add.info.: Engraving depicting the Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph)

The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850
3330971 The Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850; (add.info.: Engraving depicting the Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph)

The first marker buoy of the Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850
3330072 The first marker buoy of the Great Eastern used during the creation of the Atlantic Telegraph, 1850; (add.info.: Engraving depicting the first marker buoy of the Great Eastern used during)

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The telegraphist, a pivotal figure in the history of communication, played a crucial role in connecting people across vast distances. From being the sender of the S. O. S. Signal for help on that fateful day of April 20, 1912, to laying telegraph cables back in 1851, their work shaped our world. Imagine witnessing the telegraphists taking the cable on board the Elazer in 1851; it must have been an awe-inspiring sight as they embarked on a mission to connect nations and bridge divides. Even through bustling streets like those depicted in Berlin circa 1899, where telegraph cables intertwined with gas pipes and canals, these skilled individuals ensured messages reached their destinations swiftly. Innovations such as electromotive printing telegraphs showcased their dedication to progress. The Telegraph Station with Electromotive Printing Telegraphs in Berlin exemplified their commitment to efficiency and accuracy during this transformative period around 1890. The pointer telegraph by Wheatstone demonstrated how these professionals utilized advanced technology for message transmission. With one hand giving signs while another received them, they were masters of decoding information and ensuring its safe delivery. Not only did they excel at transmitting urgent messages or business communications but also became iconic figures within society. London Types immortalized them through lithographs like "the Telegraph Boy, " symbolizing reliability and trustworthiness associated with this profession. Their influence extended beyond landlines too; railway alphabet illustrations from 1860 showed how even transportation systems relied on these experts for seamless communication along tracks crisscrossing countries. Le Vocabulaire Illustre captured their significance beautifully through engravings depicting various aspects of telegraphic operations – from sending messages to receiving them – showcasing both technical expertise and human connection facilitated by these dedicated individuals. As technology progressed further into electronic systems colored engravings portrayed electronic telegraph systems that revolutionized communication methods once again.