The photographs contain a wide variety of images representing all aspects of Western Union and the telegraph industry.
Subseries 1 has photos of Western Union buildings from all over the world, dating from the nineteenth century until 1965. Buildings which are identified include those in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, New York City, Key West, FL, Rochester, N.Y., Hamilton, Ohio, Morristown, N.J., Sacramento, CA, Cumberland, Md., and Sandesville, GA, among others. Unfortunately, most of the photoprints are not captioned.
Poleyards and Construction, contains two folders of photoprints of telegraph poleyards, where poles are prepared for service. There are also photoprints of the locations where the finished poles were used. Some of the locations represented are: Minneapolis, Minn.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Nashua, N.H.; Slidell, La.; Rutherford, N.J.; Tacoma, Wash.; Miami, Fla.; and Elizabethtown, N.J. Folder three contains specifications and photoprints for pole line construction.
Western Union put many photographs into albums. The albums themselves have been taken apart, but the order has been preserved. These albums cover a wide variety of subjects, including antiquated telegraph instruments; Telefax switching systems; switchboard, plugs, and jacks; office interiors; tickers; "Western Union Automatic Telegraph"; and miscellaneous equipment.
The cable station photographs, 1917-1961, are arranged alphabetically by location and include Western Union stations in the United States, Europe, and Caribbean. Also included in this subseries are negatives of the cable stations. The cable ships photographs include Western Union ships-Robert C. Clowry, C.S. Colonia, C.S. Cyrus Field, C.S. Lord Kelvin, C.S. Neptune, C.S. Dellwood, C.S. Silverado-and other unidentified ships.
Telegraph equipment includes: early telegraph tickers, 1866; the Western Union cable boat Robert C. Clowry, 1903; switching systems; "Multifax," c. 1940; equipment from World War II; Varioplex equipment; Carrier systems; Mono Pulse Printing Telegraphic Sets; and Deep-Sea Cable exhibit material. There is also a great deal of unidentified miscellaneous equipment which is not identified.
Western Union "People" consists mostly of messengers and many individuals are not identified. Photographs of Western Union presidents are found in the subseries, including J.L.Egan, John W. Mackay, William Orton, Norvin Green, R.C. Clowry, Newcomb Carlton. Additionally, there are several images of Samuel F.B. Morse. There is a photoprint of a group of telegraphers present at the Battle of Gettysburg, commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of that battle. There is also a folder of photos of drawings of Pony Express riders.
The Samuel F.B. Morse photographs consists of Morse Family images and some correspondence.
Cable Photographs, contain many news images transmitted via the facsimile process in the 1920s through the 1940s. These news photos can be found throughout the subseries. There are also many other photos, some in albums, that were transmitted by facsimile, but were not for newspaper use. The majority of facsimile photographs are from Europe and many of the subjects concern World War II such as the bombings in London, the British Royal Family, Adolph Hitler, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and other military and political leaders.
The oversized photographs cover a wide range of topics from portraits to equipment to interior building views. There are some architectural drawings in this subseries for Western Union storefronts and advertisements.
Arrangement:
The series is divided into thirteen subseries:
1. Western Union Buildings, 1900-1965
2. Poleyards and Construction, 1901-1939
3. Western Union Albums (numbered), 1856-1953
4. Cable Station Albums, 1917-1961
5. Cable Ship Albums, 1924-1954
6. Miscellaneous Albums, 1912-1954?
7. Equipment, 1866-1957
8. People, 1869-1940s
9. Samuel F.B. Morse, 1840s, undated
10. Cable Photographs, 1925-1942 (facsimile)
11. Wire Photographs, 1922-1936
12. Slides, undated
13. Oversized Photographs, 1870-1962
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but Series 11 and films are stored off-site. Special arrangements must be made to view some of the audiovisual materials. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Western Union Telegraph Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
