Extraordinary ALS signed “Sam. F. B. Morse,” one page, 8 x 9.75, March 15, 1848. Morse writes to author and railroad executive S. DeWitt Bloodgood, Esq. In full: “I am making out some of my accounts with my associates in the Telegraph and find myself completely at a standstill for want of information which is in the records of Mr. Welles. Please show this to him and ask him to send me the statistics of the Canada lines so far as the Patentees are interested. I wish the amounts paid and to whom to Patentees, the name of the lines constructed and amount to be paid when the difficulties between the contractors and the Company are settled. Will you not have the goodness to see that this is sent me without further delay as possible? I see the tone of the Tribune, Journal of Commerce &c. it does not concern me. The end is not yet. How will it all read in the year 1900? Men desirous of pirating my property cannot have many scruples to attack my character. They can injure my property, may temporarily injure my reputation, but they cannot touch my character. May God forgive them.” In the decade since he applied for his patent on the telegraph, Morse became embroiled in one lawsuit after another related to intellectual property issues, one of which made it all the way to the Supreme Court. In very good condition, with mailing fold lightly through capital letters of signature, mild wrinkles, faint soiling, toning, and staining from mounting traces on reverse (some near signature), and scattered small tears and separations at folds (stabilized by expert archival reinforcement to entire reverse). The above points are outlined in the interest of strict accuracy, as the writing is clear and fully readable throughout, and the overall appearance is quite appealing. Letters from Morse related to his revolutionary invention take a place among the most coveted rarities in the fields of nineteenth-century Americana and early science and technology. The exceptional content of the present letter—including Morse’s aggressive defense of his patent, his legacy in the annals of history, and his speculation on how it will all “read” by the end of the century—grants it a place among the most significant examples ever to reach the market. Auction LOA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
