SAMUEL F. B. MORSE - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED - HFSID 350481

SAMUEL F.B. MORSE
The famed inventor sends a letter to an influential Kentucky congressman.
Autograph Letter singed: "Saml F.B. Morse". 1p, 7¼ x 10. No place, no date. Morse writes to a Kentucky congressman instrumental in getting congress to appropriate $30,000 for an experimental line between Washington and Baltimore upon which, in May of 1844, he transmitted, using a code of dots and sashes that he developed (The Morse Code), his famous salutation “What Hath God Wrought”. 1 page, 7¼ x 10. Written and signed in black ink “Saml F.B. Morse” to: William P. Thomasson (congressman from Kentucky) from the telegraph room 9:30 P.M. In full: “Dear Sir / If there is any thing of interest / in the house to send to Baltimore / I will send it / Respectfully / Yr. Mo. Ob. Servt” Kentucky (1843-1847). Fine condition. Framed to an overall size of 32¼ x 21¾. Minor chip on frame left front, minor wearing at frame corners.

Samuel F. B. Morse (1791-1872) was an accomplished portrait and mural painter and founder of the National Academy of Design. On a trip to Europe in 1830, while observing French semaphores, he realized that messages could be sent even more quickly using an electrical spark. In March 1843, he won a grant from the US Congress to build the first telegraph line. He sent the first successful telegraph message from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore on May 24, 1844. His code for message transmission became, of course, the system of dots and dashes known as Morse code. Morse built telegraph lines across the country while battling rivals in the courts.