Signal Corps Collection

Telegraph key, 1860s
Civil War telegraph sending-key in working order, living history demonstration, Shiloh National Battlefield, Tennessee. Digital photograph

First World War surveillance kite. US soldier being lifted up by a surveillance kite during the First World War (1914-1918)

Union Army Signal Flag
3028191 Union Army Signal Flag; Private Collection; (add.info.: United States Civil War, Union Army Signal Flag); © Don Troiani. All Rights Reserved 2022.

U.S. Signal Corps Officer's Cap
3501330 U.S. Signal Corps Officer's Cap; Private Collection; (add.info.: An officer's kepi with bullion embroidered crossed flags insignia of the Signal Corps.); © Don Troiani

H.G. Smith, Lt. H.H. Simons, Capt. R.L. Taylor & Sgt. B.S. Robertson, 1917. Creator: Bain News Service. H.G. Smith, Lt
H.G. Smith, Lt. H.H. Simons, Capt. R.L. Taylor & Sgt. B.S. Robertson, 1917. Instructor H.G. Smith, First Lieutenant Henry H. Simons, Captain R.L. Taylor and First Lieutenant. Benjamin S

Wig-Wag, Pratt Institute, Oct 1917. Creator: Bain News Service
Wig-Wag, Pratt Institute, Oct 1917. Members of the U.S. Army Signal Corps using signal flags during training at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York during World War I.

Laboratory, Pratt Institute, Oct 1917. Creator: Bain News Service
Laboratory, Pratt Institute, Oct 1917. Members of the U.S. Army Signal Corps training in a laboratory at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York, during World War I.

Wireless, Pratt Institute, Oct 1917. Creator: Bain News Service
Wireless, Pratt Institute, Oct 1917. Members of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in telegraph training at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York during World War I.

Charles Mck. Saltzman As Brig. Gen. Signal Corps, 1917. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Charles Mck. Saltzman As Brig. Gen
Charles McKinley Saltzman As Brig. Gen. Signal Corps, 1917

U.S. Army - Motorized Anti-Aircraft Battery, 1910. Creator: Harris & Ewing. U.S
U.S. Army - Motorized Anti-Aircraft Battery, 1910. [Signal corps in Cadillacs, men and boys look on]

Military Group, between 1909 and 1914. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Military Group, between 1909 and 1914
Military Group, between 1909 and 1914. USA. North Western Military Academy Signal Corps; Wireless No. 9'. Murdock Wireless Apparatus in use, powered by Exide battery

Uniforms: Sergeant, Signal Corps, Army, between 1916 and 1918. Creator: Harris & Ewing
Uniforms: Sergeant, Signal Corps, US Army, between 1916 and 1918

Aviation, Army - Col. Samuel Reber, 1914. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Aviation, Army - Col. Samuel Reber, 1914
Aviation, Army - Col. Samuel Reber, 1914. US aviation pioneer Samuel Reber II

Wright Flyer test flights at Fort Myer, Virginia, USA, September 3, 1908. In January 1908, as a response to a War Department request for a " Heavier-than-air Flying Machine"

Photograph of World War I soldiers, 1918. Creator: Unknown
In this photograph a group of soldiers stand in front of tents and a wooden building. The soldiers are in uniform with their arms at their sides

Signal flag with pole, early 20th century. Creator: Unknown
Signal flag on a wooden pole. Singal flag is red and white cut across the diagnol. The red section has three ties that attach the flag to the pole

US Army, uniforms, 4 Cavalry, 2 Engineers, 1 Hospital, 2 Staff Corps, 2 Signal Corps figures, 1899 (colour litho)
6028770 US Army, uniforms, 4 Cavalry, 2 Engineers, 1 Hospital, 2 Staff Corps, 2 Signal Corps figures, 1899 (colour litho) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: US Army)

US Army Signal Corps, 1917-20 (colour litho)
699029 US Army Signal Corps, 1917-20 (colour litho) by Devitt Welsh, Horace (1888-1942); Private Collection; (add.info.: If you are an electrician)

Queen Elizabeth II meets the Signal Corps. The Queen is on her June 1977 Silver Jubilee tour of Wales. 22nd June 1977

Signal Corps, Rappidan River / Signal Corps Reconnoitering at Fredericksburg, Virginia
Signal Corps, Rappidan River/Signal Corps Reconnoitering at Fredericksburg, Virginia, 1863. Formerly attributed to Mathew B. Brady

Little Round Top signal station, Battle of Gettysburg
General G. K. Warren at the signal station on Little Round Top observing troop positions, Battle of Gettysburg, 1863. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

WWI: PIGEON, 1918. A homing pigeon used by the US Army to carry messages

World War I propaganda poster of a navy ship shining itas searchlights
Vintage World War I propaganda poster featuring a navy ship steaming forward and shining itas searchlights. It reads, Official United States War Films, Produced By Signal Corps, U.S.A

An M3 Grant tank on the move during the Battle of Kasserine Pass, Tunisia
A 1st Armored Division American M3 Grant tank on the move during the Battle of Kasserine Pass, Tunisia, late February 1943

U. S. SIGNAL CORPS, c1880. Photograph of a U. S. Signal Corps column leaving Fort Bowie in Arizona
U.S. SIGNAL CORPS, c1880. Photograph of a U.S. Signal Corps column leaving Fort Bowie in Arizona, c1880

Telegraph in operation, 1860s artifact
Civil War field telegraph sending-key in working order, living history demonstration, Shiloh National Military Park, Tennessee. Digital photograph

An M4A3E8 76mm armed Sherman tank with flame thrower
September 9, 1944 - An M4A3E8 76mm armed Sherman tank with flame thrower during the Second World War

Vintage World War I propaganda poster featuring a navy shipyard. It reads, Ships For Uncle Sam, Official United States War Film, Produced By Signal Corps, U.S.A. and Committee On Public Information

WORLD WAR I: SIGNAL CORPS. Men of the U. S. Signal Corps camp at Little Silver, New Jersey
WORLD WAR I: SIGNAL CORPS. Men of the U.S. Signal Corps camp at Little Silver, New Jersey, spelling out with their flags: We Want To Go To France. Photograph, c1918

WORLD WAR I: SIGNAL STATION. British signal station on a railroad track on the Western Front during World War I. The soldier looking through the telescope tells what he sees to his comrade

WORLD WAR I: TELEPHONE. A British signal officer listening in on a tapped German telephone line during World War I. Photograph, 1914-1918

WORLD WAR I: SIGNAL CORPS. U. S. Signal Lamp Station at the front in France. Stereograph
WORLD WAR I: SIGNAL CORPS. U.S. Signal Lamp Station at the front in France. Stereograph, c1918

WORLD WAR I: WOMEN, c1919. Three women communication workers of the U.S. Army, standing outside an official automobile. Photograph, c1919

Lieutenant Carleton G. Chapman in US Signal Corps No. 53 preparing for takeoff at Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico
EXPEDITION TO MEXICO, 1916. Lieutenant Carleton G. Chapman in US Signal Corps No. 53 preparing for takeoff at Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico

A Signal Corps message center set up in the back of a military truck during a field problem at Fort Riley, Kansas
WORLD WAR II: SIGNAL CORPS. A Signal Corps message center set up in the back of a military truck during a field problem at Fort Riley, Kansas. Photograph by Jack Delano, April 1942

Military portable radio, 1940s C017 / 7884
Military portable radio. US Army officer using a walkie-talkie, a radio field telephone, during military manoeuvres. This is an SCR-536 model

Army medics treating a casualty C016 / 2677
US Army medics treating a casualty. They are applying an antibiotic sulphonamide drug to his wounds. Photographed near Metz, France, during the Second World War

33rd President of the United States. Truman on an inspection of the Signal Corps, U. S. Army
HARRY S. TRUMAN (1884-1972). 33rd President of the United States. Truman on an inspection of the Signal Corps, U.S. Army

CIVIL WAR: BATTLEFIELD. Members of the U. S. Army Signal Corps with wrecked carts
CIVIL WAR: BATTLEFIELD. Members of the U.S. Army Signal Corps with wrecked carts and dead horses on a Civil War battlefield. Photographed by Mathew Brady

CIVIL WAR: SOLDIERS. Members of the U. S. Army Signal Corps. Photographed by Mathew Brady
CIVIL WAR: SOLDIERS. Members of the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Photographed by Mathew Brady

CIVIL WAR: SIGNAL CORPS. Signal Corps men outside the Central Signal Station at the Winder Building at 17th and E Streets in Washington, D.C. Photograph by William Morris Smith, 1865

CIVIL WAR: SIGNAL CORPS. U. S. Army Signal Corpsmen photographed by Mathew Brady
CIVIL WAR: SIGNAL CORPS. U.S. Army Signal Corpsmen photographed by Mathew Brady

CIVIL WAR: SIGNAL CORPS. Members of the U. S. Army Signal Corps, photographed by Mathew Brady during the American Civil
CIVIL WAR: SIGNAL CORPS. Members of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, photographed by Mathew Brady during the American Civil War

CIVIL WAR: SIGNAL TOWER. Signal tower and signal corps of the Union Army of the James led by Major General Benjamin Butler. Photographed at Bermuda Hundred, Virginia, 1864

CIVIL WAR: SIGNAL CORPS. Members of the United States Army Signal Corps. Photographed by Mathew Brady during the American Civil War

EVCW2A-00062
Union Army Signal Corps setting up telegraph wire during a Civil War battle, 1863. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th century illustration

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The Signal Corps: Pioneers of Communication and Surveillance From the humble beginnings of the telegraph key in the 1860s to the groundbreaking use of a surveillance kite during World War I, the Signal Corps has played an integral role in shaping communication and reconnaissance methods throughout history. In September 1908, at Fort Myer, Virginia, USA, the Wright Flyer took flight under the watchful eyes personnel. These test flights marked a significant milestone in aviation history and showcased the corps' dedication to advancing technology. A poignant photograph captured in 1918 depicts World War I soldiers whose lives were intertwined with those serving in the Signal Corps. Their faces tell stories of bravery and resilience as they relied on these skilled individuals for vital communication on treacherous battlefields. With their signal flags held high, early 20th-century members of the corps stood tall as they transmitted messages across great distances. The significance of their work cannot be understated; they were instrumental in relaying critical information that shaped military strategies. Uniformed figures from various branches - Cavalry, Engineers, Hospital - stand alongside two proud representatives from the Signal Corps in a vibrant lithograph from 1899. This artwork pays homage to their diverse roles within an organization dedicated to effective communication. During World War I (1917-1920), color lithographs depicted scenes showcasing different aspects of life within this esteemed corps. From reconnoitering at Fredericksburg's Rappidan River to meeting royalty like Queen Elizabeth II herself – who recognized their invaluable contributions – it is evident that their impact extended far beyond military circles. Atop Little Round Top during one fateful Battle of Gettysburg moment stands a signal station manned by courageous members of this elite group. Their ability to transmit crucial information swiftly undoubtedly influenced battlefield outcomes during one of America's most pivotal conflicts. Even animals had a part to play within this remarkable organization.