Portions of Ronalds' electrostatic telegraph, 1816

Made:
1816 in Hammersmith
maker:
Francis Ronalds
Diagram of Ronalds telegraph in glazed frame.  Overhead copy of whole object against grey background. Cylinder electrical machine labelled C.Singer used by Ronalds. 3/4 View. White graduated background. 1894-158 Pt1: Part of electrostatic telegraph, made by Sir Francis Ronalds, London, England, 1816.
      
      This is part of 1894-158 Pt1: Part of electrostatic telegraph, made by Sir Francis Ronalds, London, England, 1816.
      
      This is part of 1894-158 Pt1: Part of electrostatic telegraph, made by Sir Francis Ronalds, London, England, 1816.
      
      This is part of 1894-158 Pt1: Part of electrostatic telegraph, made by Sir Francis Ronalds, London, England, 1816.
      
      This is part of

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Diagram of Ronalds telegraph in glazed frame. Overhead copy of whole object against grey background.
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Cylinder electrical machine labelled C.Singer used by Ronalds. 3/4 View. White graduated background.
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

1894-158 Pt1: Part of electrostatic telegraph, made by Sir Francis Ronalds, London, England, 1816. This is part of
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

1894-158 Pt1: Part of electrostatic telegraph, made by Sir Francis Ronalds, London, England, 1816. This is part of
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

1894-158 Pt1: Part of electrostatic telegraph, made by Sir Francis Ronalds, London, England, 1816. This is part of
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

1894-158 Pt1: Part of electrostatic telegraph, made by Sir Francis Ronalds, London, England, 1816. This is part of
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Portions of Ronalds' electrostatic telegraph, Sir Francis Ronalds, Hammersmith, 1816. With replica dial, unknown maker, 1816-1894. In glazed mahogany case, made by Science Museum Workshops, London, England, 1994. Also, diagram of Sir Francis Ronalds' 1816 electrostatic telegraph, in glazed mahogany frame, made by Science Museum, London, England, 1920-1929.

This is part of the early telegraph system that the inventor Sir Francis Ronalds installed in the garden in his house in Hammersmith. The wire is original, while the dial is a reconstruction. Ronalds used a line charged with static electricity, with a pair of pith balls at each end. Pith balls are small, lightweight objects that are good at picking up charges. When the line was charged, the two pith balls would move away from each other. When the line was earthed, they would drop. At each end of the line, there was also a dial, with the two being driven by clockwork at the same speed. The sender would discharge the line when the letter desired reached the top of the clockwork dial at one end. This caused the pith balls at the other end to drop, and allowed the receiver to see which letter they dropped at.

Details

Category:
Telecommunications
Object Number:
1894-158
Materials:
copper (alloy), glass, mahogany (wood) and wax
Measurements:
overall: 120 mm x 540 mm x 440 mm, 6.46 kg
type:
telegraph
taxonomy:
  • component - object
credit:
Donated by H.M. Postmaster General