Collection Highlights
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
1805
1867.306
Oil on linen
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Museum Collections
Luce Center
Sections of the Atlantic telegraph cable (930) in original packing crates (8)
Object name
Sections of the Atlantic telegraph cable (930) in original packing crates (8)
Date
1850-1860
Medium
Steel, metal; wood
Dimensions
Part (cable sections): 1/2 x 3 7/8 in. (1.3 x 9.8 cm)
Overall (Crates): 3 3/4 x 9 x 10 3/4 in. (9.5 x 22.9 x 27.3 cm)
Description
930 4-inch sections of the Atlantic telegraph cable; each section consisting of multiple bundles of steel wire with brass mounts at top and bottom and stamped Tiffany & Co. mount at center ("ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLE/GUARANTEED BY/TIFFANY & CO./BROADWAY . NEW YORK . 1858". Housed in 8 original wooden packing crates, three with separate tops.
Object Number
INV.9070.1-941
Marks
stamped: on metal band around center of cable section: "ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLE/GUARANTEED BY/TIFFANY & CO./BROADWAY . NEW YORK . 1858"
Gallery Label
Cyrus Field (1819-1892), in association with Peter Cooper and others, formed a company around 1854 to build a telegraph cable between Newfoundland and Ireland. After many reverses and a partial success in 1858, a fully serviceable cable was in operation by 1866. These sections are from the defunct 1858 Atlantic cable, and were probably used as presentation pieces.
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.
