Segment of the first transatlantic telegraph cable from 1858, measuring 3.5″ long, made into a souvenir and sold by Tiffany & Co. The cable is wrapped with a brass band, reading: "Atlantic Telegraph Cable, Guaranteed by Tiffany & Co., Broadway, New York, 1858." Accompanied by a worn facsimile letter by Cyrus W. Field, in part: "This is to certify that I have sold the balance of the Atlantic Telegraph Cable now on board of the U.S.S.V. Niagara to Messrs. Tiffany & Co…the piece which accompanied this, is a genuine section thereof." Mounted and framed together in a shadowbox to an overall size of 11.75 x 13.75.
Led by Cyrus W. Field and the Atlantic Telegraph Company, the first complete transatlantic telegraph cable was laid from Valentia Island on the west coast of Ireland to Heart's Content on the east coast of Newfoundland. The first communications occurred on August 16, 1858, reducing the time of communication from North America to Europe from ten days—the time it took to deliver a message by ship—to a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, the cable functioned for only three weeks, but it proved the viability of the concept. Cyrus W. Field sold a quantity of the leftover cable to Tiffany's to be transformed into souvenirs of the historic telegraph line.
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