ALS signed “Sam. F. B. Morse,” one page, 7.75 x 7.75, March 7, 1838. Addressed from "N. Y. City University," a handwritten letter to Joseph B. Boyd, in full: “Your request of the 15th Jany reached me on my return from Washington this day, and I presume this will be considered as a compliance with it. Col. Trumbull is at New Haven Conn.” Another hand has added to the top in pencil, “(only 1 sheet) of sketch,” which alludes to an accompanying sheet of graphite drawings that is attributed to Morse. Unsigned, the sheet contains sketches of the faces of two men in profile and a curved tool or blade. Both the letter and sketch sheet are archivally matted and framed with an engraved portrait (bearing a facsimile signature) to an overall size of 21.5 x 19.5. In fine condition.
At the Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Jersey on January 11, 1838, Morse made the first public demonstration of the electric telegraph, newly devised with a system of electromagnetic relays. The first public transmission, with the message, ‘A patient waiter is no loser,’ was witnessed by a mostly local crowd. Morse traveled to Washington, D.C. in 1838 seeking federal sponsorship for a telegraph line but was not successful. He went to Europe, seeking both sponsorship and patents, but in London discovered that William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone had already established priority. After his return to the U.S., Morse finally gained financial backing from Maine congressman Francis Ormand Jonathan Smith. This funding may be the first instance of government support to a private researcher, especially funding for applied research.
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