Existing comment:
After Cyrus West Field
Facsimile letter accompanying the Cable Souvenir
1858
ink on paper
Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
Morse's overland telegraph led to the dream of a transatlantic cable, capable of carrying a message across the ocean. Morse partnered with Frederic Church's patron, Cyrus Field, to develop the cable. In 1858 they sent the first successful message, between President James Buchanan and Queen Victoria. Transmission was slow and the cable failed after three weeks, leading to a number of frustrating attempts to reestablish contact. The next successful cable connection across the Atlantic was completed in 1866. Beginning in 1858, Field arranged with Tiffany and Co. to produce souvenir segments of the actual cable, sold with a letter of authenticity signed by Field. Humboldt owned one of these segments, which he presented to the Berlin Academy of Science. |