How History Unfolds on Paper: Important Americana from the Eric C. Caren Collection, Part X

Printed Handbill
No place, ca. September 2, 1858. Printed handbill; 7 7/16 x 5 in. (189 x 127 mm). Likely disbound; scattered stains and toning.

The Atlantic telegraph cable of 1858 marked the first successful submarine telegraphic connection between Europe and North America, an achievement widely heralded as a triumph of modern science and engineering. Promoted by Cyrus West Field and undertaken by the Atlantic Telegraph Company, the cable briefly enabled direct communication across the Atlantic for the first time in history. On August 16, Queen Victoria transmitted a formal message to James Buchanan inaugurating the line. Though the cable failed after only a few weeks, its temporary success demonstrated the feasibility of transatlantic telegraphy and paved the way for the permanent Atlantic cable, completed in 1866.

Together with:

The Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia, August 8, 1865. Printed newspaper. Folio. 8 pp. With a vignette map related to the cable. Some marginal toning; small dampstaining in upper margin.

The international telegraph cable expedition of 1865 was the second attempt to secure direct telegraphic communication between Europe and North America. Organized by the Atlantic Telegraph Company, and again, under the leadership of Cyrus West Field, the attempt followed the brief success and subsequent failure of the 1858 cable. Departing aboard the massive steamship SS Great Eastern, the expedition laid thousands of miles of cable across the Atlantic before the line parted and was lost in deep water. Though unsuccessful, the project would pave the way for the successful completion of the transatlantic cable in 1866, an achievement that fundamentally altered international communication.