Telephone and Telegraph Industry | ClipArt ETC

The Telephone and Telegraph Industry ClipArt gallery offers 75 illustrations of telephones and telegraph equipment, including early models and supporting infrastructure such as cable and switchboards.

Edison's acoustic transmitter.

Acoustic Transmitter

Edison's acoustic transmitter.

Edison's first Articulating Telephone.

Articulating Telephone

Edison's first Articulating Telephone.

"Laying the Atlantic Cable. In 1866, a previous attempt in 1858 having failed, a telegraphic cable was laid upon the bed of the Atlantic between America and Europe. This cable was followed by others; but a closer connection between the United States and the Old World than any effected by the telegraph is formed by the constant passage back and forth of people. With the close of the war, immigration, which had suffered a check, increased rapidly. From 1871 to 1880 nearly three millions, and from 1881 to 1890, more than five millions, of people migrated to the United States. During the present decade, up to 1897, three millions of immigrants have swelled the population of the century. From 1789 to 1894, a period of one hundred and five years, the United States has absorbed an alien population of about eighteen millions."—Scudder, 1897

Atlantic Cable

"Laying the Atlantic Cable. In 1866, a previous attempt in 1858 having failed, a telegraphic cable was…

"The illustration shows seven copper wires (4) forming a conductor; a wrapping of thread (3) soaked in pitch; several layers of gutta percha (2); and the covering of twisted wires (1)."—Webster, 1920

The Original Atlantic Cable

"The illustration shows seven copper wires (4) forming a conductor; a wrapping of thread (3) soaked…

Man speaking into telephone.

Bell telephone

Man speaking into telephone.

Boy

Boy with telephone.

Telegraph Cable

Telegraph cable laid at the bottom of the ocean or through festoons, allowing for gradual setting.

Edison's Carbon Telephone. He tried using carbon with the purpose of reducing the delicacy of the instrument.

Carbon Telephone

Edison's Carbon Telephone. He tried using carbon with the purpose of reducing the delicacy of the instrument.

An interior view of the chemical telephone.

Chemical Telephone

An interior view of the chemical telephone.

A chronograph and switch-board.

Chronograph and Switch-board

A chronograph and switch-board.

An illustration of the rotary dial on phones. Each hole corresponds to the number shown. To dial the number, the person will insert the finger into the phone and turn the dial until the finger hits the metal stop.

Telephone Rotary Dial

An illustration of the rotary dial on phones. Each hole corresponds to the number shown. To dial the…

Edison talking into the phonograph.

Thomas Edison

Edison talking into the phonograph.

The first stage of the elctro-motograph discovery.

Electro-motograph

The first stage of the elctro-motograph discovery.

"Morse magnetic telegraph will be understood by reference to the accompanying diagram, which represents the construction and arrangement of this form of telegraph. F and E are pieces of soft iron surrounded by coils of wire, which are connected at a and b with wires proceeding from a galvanic battery. When a current is transmitted from a battery located one, two, or three hundred miles, as the case may be, it passes along the wires and into the coils surrounding the pieces of soft iron F and E, thereby converting them into magnets. Above these pieces of soft iron is a metallic bar or lever, A, supported on its center, and haing at one end the arm D, and at the other a small steel point, o. A ribbon of paper, p h, rolled on the cylinder B, is drawn slowly and steadily off by a train of clock-work, K, moved by the action of the weight P on the cord C. This clock-work gives motion to two metal rollers, G and H, between which the ribbon of paper passes, and which, turnin in opposite directions, draw the paper from the cylinder B. The roller H has a groove arond its circumference (not represented in the engraving) above which the paper passes. The steel point, r, or the lever, A, is also directly opposite this groove. The spring r prevents the point from resting upon the paper when the telegraph is not in operation." —Wells, 1857

Magnetic Telegraph

"Morse magnetic telegraph will be understood by reference to the accompanying diagram, which represents…

Microphone

Boy listening to microphone.

Samuel F. B. Morse independently developed an electrical telegraph in 1837, an alternative design that was capable of transmitting over long distances using poor quality wire.

Morse Apparatus, Circuit and Battery

Samuel F. B. Morse independently developed an electrical telegraph in 1837, an alternative design that…

Morse Key

Telegraph key, also known as a Morse key, are generic terms for any switching device used primarily…

An electronic device used to record Morse code on a roll of paper.

Morse Register

An electronic device used to record Morse code on a roll of paper.

A form of long-distance communication, which used electricity to send and receive messages.

Morse's First Telegraph Instrument

A form of long-distance communication, which used electricity to send and receive messages.

Samuel Morse explaining his telegraph to members of Congress. Morse made his last trip to Washington, D.C., in December 1842, stringing "wires between two committee rooms in the Capitol, and sent messages back and forth" to demonstrate his telegraph system.

Samuel Morse

Samuel Morse explaining his telegraph to members of Congress. Morse made his last trip to Washington,…

"The machine itself is sufficiently simple, and will be comprehended at once, by those who have made electro-magnetic experiments, by the annexed diagram and description. The temporary magnet a, enveloped with its insulated copper wire, is fastened to the wooden frame b, g, by means of cords or otherwise. The frame also supports the standard h, which sustains the revolving drum f, on which the paper to receive the emblematical alphabet is fixed, m being the edge of the paper. To the arm g, is appended the lever c, of wood, which has a slight vertical motion, in one direction by the steel spring d, and in the other, by the armature of soft iron e." —Comstock, 1850

Morses Telegraph

"The machine itself is sufficiently simple, and will be comprehended at once, by those who have made…

A pay phone or pay phone is a public telephone, with payment by inserting money (usually coins) or a credit card or debit card before a call is made.

Pay Phone

A pay phone or pay phone is a public telephone, with payment by inserting money (usually coins) or a…

An illustration of a perforating machine of the automatic telegraph.

Perforating Machine

An illustration of a perforating machine of the automatic telegraph.

An illustration of a small perforating machine used in telegraphing.

Perforating Machine (small)

An illustration of a small perforating machine used in telegraphing.

Wireless Telegraph Receiver

"Wireless Telegraphy is a system of transmitting messages between distant points without the use of…

An electronic device used to record morse code on a roll of paper.

Morse Recorder

An electronic device used to record morse code on a roll of paper.

A type of telegraph recorder using a siphon with the ink.

Siphon Recorder

A type of telegraph recorder using a siphon with the ink.

A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead.

Railway Signal

A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating…

telegraph, morse, wireless

Wireless Telegraph Station

telegraph, morse, wireless

"Under side of a modern switchboard, showing 2,000 telegraph wires."—E. Benjamin Andrews 1895

Switchboard

"Under side of a modern switchboard, showing 2,000 telegraph wires."—E. Benjamin Andrews 1895

Telegrams

Instrument for sending telegrams

Telegraph

Samuel F. B. Morse's original model of the telegraph insrument.

An instrument to send messages by means of electricity, either at short or long distances. An instrument of this kind is frequently called the electric telegraph.

Telegraph

An instrument to send messages by means of electricity, either at short or long distances. An instrument…

A man operating an electro-magnetic telegraph.

Telegraph

A man operating an electro-magnetic telegraph.

"The first telegraphic instrument, as exhibited in 1837 by Morse."—E. Benjamin Andrews 1895

Telegraph Instrument

"The first telegraphic instrument, as exhibited in 1837 by Morse."—E. Benjamin Andrews 1895

Telegraph Key

Telegraph key invented by Samuel Morse with improvements by Alfred Vail.

Telegraph Key

Telegraph key is a general term for any switching device used primarily to send Morse code. Similar…

The receiver of the telegraph.

Telegraph Receiver

The receiver of the telegraph.

"The sounder is a telegraphic receiver consisting of an electromagnet, and a pivoted armature that plays up and down between its stops as the circuit is alternately made and broken. the message is 'read by sound,' i.e., from the clicks made by the armature, substantially as indicated [before]." -Avery 1895

Telegraph Sounder

"The sounder is a telegraphic receiver consisting of an electromagnet, and a pivoted armature that plays…

"A transmitter or key is a current interrupter manipulated by the operator. It consists essentially of a metal layer, L, pivoted at aa, and conneted to the line by the screw at m which is insultated from the base, and the screw at n which is connected to the base and lever." -Avery 1895

Telegraph Transmitter

"A transmitter or key is a current interrupter manipulated by the operator. It consists essentially…

The transmitter of the telegraph.

Telegraph Transmitter

The transmitter of the telegraph.

A telegraph in which the letters of the alphabet or figures are placed on a circular plate in such a manner that they can be brought to succession to an opening, or indicated in sucession in some other way, as by a pointer.

Disc Telegraph

A telegraph in which the letters of the alphabet or figures are placed on a circular plate in such a…

Telegraph Using Galvanoscopes

"Instead of the telephone receivers normally used in telegraphs, substitute with galvanoscopes. When…

One Way Telegraph

"A long ribbon of white paper is attached on a spool, and connected to a receiver that is wired to a…

"The Morse register is represented [here]. The armature, A , is supported at the end of a lever, and over the cores of the magnet bobbins, M. A spring, S, lifts the armature when the cores are demagnetized on the breaking of the circuit by the operator at the key. When A is pulled down by M, a style or pencil at P is pressed against R, a paper ribbon that is drawn along by clock work. this style may be made to record upon the paper a dot-and-dash communication sent by the operator at a key, perhaps hundreds of miles away." -Avery 1895

Morse Telegraph Register

"The Morse register is represented [here]. The armature, A , is supported at the end of a lever, and…

"With a long main-line and many instruments in circuit, the resistance may be so great as to render the main-battery current so feeble that it cannot operate the sounder with sufficient energy to render the signals distinctly audible. This difficulty is met by introducing a 'local battery,' and a 'relay' at each station on the line." -Avery 1895

Telegraph Relay

"With a long main-line and many instruments in circuit, the resistance may be so great as to render…

Cable System Telegraph Repeater

A cable system telegraph repeater device. The telegraph repeater device is used to send and receive…

"The electric telegraph in its simplest form, consists of an electric circuit connecting he points between which telegraphic intercourse is established, a battery at each point, connected wih this circuit, and two instruments, one for transmitting and the other for receiving electric impluses by with arbitrary sign representing written language are produced." -Atkinson 1903

Simple Telegraph

"The electric telegraph in its simplest form, consists of an electric circuit connecting he points between…

Simple Telegraph

"A simple telegraph consisting of two telephone receivers, two batteries, and two keys." -Avery 1895

"A variation of the telegraph sounder that uses a pool of mercury to close the circuit to produce the sound when a click is received." -Avery 1895

Telegraph Sounder

"A variation of the telegraph sounder that uses a pool of mercury to close the circuit to produce the…

Complete Telegraph System

"A complete telegraph system, displaying batteries, keys, receivers, relays and local batteries on both…

"...two stations...each being furnished with a neutral relay, connected as [shown] and also each with a sounder and key, at each of which an operator is seated..." -Atkinson 1903

Telegraph with Neutral Relay

"...two stations...each being furnished with a neutral relay, connected as [shown] and also each with…

Telegraphy is the long distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters. A telegraph is a device for transmitting and receiving messages over long distances.

The Inner Workings of Telegraphy

Telegraphy is the long distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters.…

Two men using a telephone.

Telephone

Two men using a telephone.

An early form of the telephone.

Telephone

An early form of the telephone.

Telephone

An instrument for reproducing sound at a distance by the transmission of impulses through the agency…

Alexander Graham Bell's original model of the telephone reciever and transmitter.

Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell's original model of the telephone reciever and transmitter.

A typical phone call, traditionally, is placed by picking the phone handset up off the base and holding the handset so that the hearing end is next to the user's ear and the speaking end is within range of the mouth. The caller would then rotary dial or press buttons for the phone numbers needed to complete the call.

Placing a Phone Call

A typical phone call, traditionally, is placed by picking the phone handset up off the base and holding…

The receiver of Bell's telephone.

Telephone Receiver

The receiver of Bell's telephone.

The transmitter of Bell's telephone.

Telephone Transmitter

The transmitter of Bell's telephone.

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