overall: 7 5/8 in x 6 1/4 in x 11 1/2 in; 19.3675 cm x 15.875 cm x 29.21 cm
Object Name:
telegraph receiver
telegraph register
Date made:
ca 1845
Description (Brief):
This early telegraph register was designed and made by Alfred Vail, who worked closely with Samuel Morse on the telegraph invention. The beige coils are electromagnets and their large size was typical for early units. Vail’s signature is stamped on the base.
Telegraph registers are electrically-activated printers that receive Morse code messages. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. The pulses energize the register’s electromagnets which move a lever-arm holding a pen or stylus. A clockwork mechanism pulls a strip of paper across the pen or stylus, recording the message. Short pulses draw or emboss a dot, slightly longer pulses a dash. The sequence of dots and dashes represent letters and numbers.