Telegraph Cable Collection

NEW ORLEANS: STREET SCENE. A view of St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photographed c1895

The Rhodes Colossus, 1892 Artist: Edward Linley Sambourne
The Rhodes Colossus, 1892. Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902), English-born South African businessman and statesman, shown striding across Africa from Cape Town to Cairo with a telegraph wire

Valentia in 1857-1858 at the Time of the Laying of the Former Cable, 1865

Foilhummerum Bay, Valentia, from Cromwell Fort: The Caroline Laying the Earthwire on July 21st, 1865, 1865

Sunset at Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia
Cable Beach, located in Broome, Western Australia, is a famous beach named after the Java-to-Australia undersea telegraph cable which reaches its shore."nThis flat

The Great Eastern, 1860: The Vessel leaving Southampton on her First Voyage, June 17, (1901). The SS Great Eastern was an iron sailing steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel with John Scott

Cape to Cairo, 1899. Artist: John Tenniel
Cape to Cairo, 1899. Cecil Rhodes asking the German Emperor Wilhelm II for permission for the Cape to Cairo telegraph line to be laid across German territories in Africa

Hooper's patent submarine telegraph cables, 1862. Creator: Unknown
Hooper's patent submarine telegraph cables, 1862. Mr. Hooper's cable is composed of the usual copper or other conductor insulated with indiarubber

Taking the cable on board the Elazer, 1851
3479160 Taking the cable on board the Elazer, 1851 by Unknown Artist, (19th century); (add.info.: Taking the cable on board the Elazer for the first successful laying of a submarine telegraph cable)

Edward Whitehouse
3585849 Edward Whitehouse by French School, (19th century); (add.info.: Portrait of Edward Whitehouse (1816-1890) an English surgeon and electrical engineer

The Advance on Omdurman, laying the Telegraph Cable across the Nile (litho)
1063672 The Advance on Omdurman, laying the Telegraph Cable across the Nile (litho) by Small, William (1843-1931) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Advance on Omdurman)

Landing of a Telegraph Cable at St Mary s, Scilly Isles (engraving)
1104265 Landing of a Telegraph Cable at St Mary s, Scilly Isles (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Landing of a Telegraph Cable at St Mary s, Scilly Isles)

Cartoon commenting on the second attempt to lay the Atlantic Telegraph Cable
5308825 Cartoon commenting on the second attempt to lay the Atlantic Telegraph Cable by Tenniel, John (1820-1914); (add.info)

Modern Science, picking up a Telegraph Cable at Sea (engraving)
973090 Modern Science, picking up a Telegraph Cable at Sea (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Modern Science, picking up a Telegraph Cable at Sea)

Transatlantic telegraph cable, 1866 (chromolitho)
977399 Transatlantic telegraph cable, 1866 (chromolitho) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Transatlantic telegraph cable, 1866)

Laying the Telegraph Cable from Galley Cove to the Fastnet Lighthouse (litho)
1100093 Laying the Telegraph Cable from Galley Cove to the Fastnet Lighthouse (litho) by Wright, Henry Charles Seppings (1850-1937); Private Collection; (add.info)

Telegraph Cable between Malta and Alexandria (engraving)
1611433 Telegraph Cable between Malta and Alexandria (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Telegraph Cable between Malta and Alexandria)

New Telegraph to India (engraving)
1102732 New Telegraph to India (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: New Telegraph to India)

The Atlantic Telegraph Cable Fleet Assembled at Berehaven (Southwest Coast of Ireland): Ships, the Great Eastern, H.M.S. Terrible, the Alby, the Medway and the William Cory, 1866

The Bay of Bull Arms, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Bonfires Lighted on the Hills to Notify of the Arrival of the Cable Fleet on August 5th, 1858, 1865-66

The Settlement and Church of Hearts Content, Newfoundland, 1866

First Telegraph House at Hearts Content, Newfoundland, 1866, 1866

Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Exterior View of the Telegraph House in 1857-1858, 1865-66

Telegraph Cable Fleet at Sea, 1865, 1865-66. Creator: Robert Charles Dudley
Telegraph Cable Fleet at Sea, 1865, 1865-66

View Looking Aft from the Port Paddle-box on the Deck of the Great Eastern... 1865-66
View Looking Aft from the Port Paddle-box on the Deck of the Great Eastern: Showing the Trough for the Cable, etc. 1865-66

Valentia, Ireland, from the Harbor, Opposite Knight s-town, at the Period of Laying the Cable of 1857, 1865-66

Foilhummerum Bay, Valentia, Looking from Cromwell Fort: The Caroline and Boats Laying the Earth Wire, July 21st, 1865, 1865-66

Coiling the Cable in the Large Tanks at the Works of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company of Greenwich, 1865, 1865

In the Bows of the Great Eastern: The Cable Broken and Lost, Preparing to Grapple, August 2nd, 1865, 1865

Coiling the Cable in the After-tank on Board the Great Eastern at Sheerness: Visit of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales on May 23rd, 1865, 1865-66

The Cable Passed From the Works into the Hulk (the Old Frigate Iris) Lying in the Thames at Greenwich, 1865-66

The Old Frigate Iris with Her Freight of Cable Alongside the Great Eastern at Sheerness: The Cable Passed from the Hulk to the Great Eastern, 1865

Foilhummerum Bay, Valentia, Looking Seawards from the Point at Which the Cable Reaches the Shore of Ireland, 1865-66

The Reels of Gutta-percha Covered Conducting Wire Conveyed into Tanks at the Works of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, at Greenwich, 1865-66

September 8th at Hearts Content, the day of the successful termination of the work of laying, recovering, completing and testing the Atlantic Telegraph Cables of 1865 and 1866, 1866

Splicing the Cable (after the First Accident) on Board the Great Eastern, July 25th, 1865, 1865-66

Forward Deck of the Great Eastern Cleared for the First Attempt to Grapple... 1865-66
Forward Deck of the Great Eastern Cleared for the First Attempt to Grapple for the Lost Cable, August 11th, 1865, 1865-66

The Forge on Deck, Night of August 9th: Preparing the Iron Plating for Capstan, 1865-66

The Paying-out Machinery in the Stern of the Great Eastern, 1865

Getting Out One of the Large Buoys for Launching, August 2nd, 1865, 1865

H. M. S. Agamemnon Laying the Atlantic Telegraph Cable in 1858: a Whale Crosses the Line
H.M.S. Agamemnon Laying the Atlantic Telegraph Cable in 1858: a Whale Crosses the Line, 1865-66

Interior of One of the Tanks on Board the Great Eastern: The Cable Passing Out, 1865-66

The Cliffs, Foilhummerum Bay, Valentia, the Point at Which the Shore-end of the Cable was Landed on July 22nd, 1865, 1865

Launching the Buoy from the Bow of the Great Eastern on August 8th, 1865, 1865-66

Getting Out One of the Great Buoys: The Deck of the Great Eastern Looking From the Forecastle, 1865-66

View of the Interior of One of the Tanks on Board the Great Eastern, 1865-66

View, Looking Aft, from the Port Paddle Box of the Great Eastern, Showing the Trough for the Cable, etc. 1865-66

Deck of the Great Eastern, the Cable Trough, etc. 1866, 1865-66

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Connecting Continents: The Remarkable Telegraph Cable" Step back in time to the late 19th century, when the world was on the cusp of a technological revolution. In bustling New Orleans, St. Charles Avenue stood witness to progress as it became intertwined with the story of telegraph cables. The Rhodes Colossus, an awe-inspiring creation by Edward Linley Sambourne in 1892, depicted the immense power and reach of these cables. They spanned vast distances, linking nations and continents like never before. Traveling across time and space, we find ourselves in Valentia during 1857-1858 when history was made with the laying of a former cable. Foilhummerum Bay witnessed this monumental event from Cromwell Fort as "The Caroline" carefully placed an earthwire beneath its waters. Join us aboard the Elazer in 1851 as we embark on a journey to transport these vital communication lifelines. Edward Whitehouse's expertise ensured that every inch of cable was handled with precision and care. In 1860, all eyes were on Southampton as "The Great Eastern" set sail for her maiden voyage. This colossal vessel carried hopes and dreams alongside thousands of miles worth of telegraph cables - paving new pathways for global connectivity. From Cape to Cairo in 1899, artist John Tenniel captured the ambition behind connecting Africa through telegraph cables. It symbolized mankind's relentless pursuit of knowledge and progress. Witness history unfold during "The Advance on Omdurman, " where brave souls laid telegraph cables across Nile amidst conflict - bridging gaps not only between lands but also between people separated by war-torn regions. Even remote islands like St Mary's in Scilly Isles experienced their own momentous occasion with landing a telegraph cable - bringing them closer than ever before to distant shores. Not without challenges did these feats occur; cartoonists humorously commented on the second attempt to lay the Atlantic Telegraph Cable.