K-220-A/1 picture transmitter serial no. 424607

The machine here is identical to that used by Associated Press (AP) to transmit Nick Ut's picture out of Vietnam to reach the world's newspapers. It was the standard equipment for the transmission of press photographs in the pre-digital age.

The original picture, with caption, was placed on the drum which rotated as a light beam from a scanning head traversed it line by line. The transmitter was connected by radio, or by a telephone, to receiving equipment. Transmission took 15 minutes.