Communications Collection (#2)

The four wooden Marconi wireless towers at Poldhu, Mullion, Cornwall. 10th June 1908
A view of the four wooden 200ft Marconi towers at Poldhu, built by early 1902, showing the guide wires and signal station buildings

British Museum - reading room
The great domed reading room at the British Museum, forerunner of the British Library 1952

Illustration, rolled paper scroll tied with gold ribbon

Picture No. 11772293
Dog Parson Jack Russell with mobile phone in mouth Date:

Records of first UK aerial mail service
Thepostmasters official handwrittenrecordsrelatingto thefirst UKaerialmail service from London to Windsor andWindsor to LondoninSeptember1911. 1911

Woman reading a book
A beautiful young woman with blonde hair and red lipsticked lips, wears a lilac gown with sky blue fur trim. She reclines in her favourite chair to read her book. 1937

Advert for Underwood portable typewriters 1931
Underwood creates the new portable typewriter. With a quiet carriage that never interrupts the train of thought, a quieter key action and shift key

Releasing carrier pigeon from tank, France, WW1
A human hand releasing a carrier pigeon through the porthole of a tank, near Albert, Somme, northern France, during the First World War. Date: 9 August 1918

Policeman at a police call box
A policeman on the phone at a police public call box on a London street

Metropolitan Police walkie talkie radio
A Metropolitan Police walkie talkie radio

Police Public Call Box, London
A police officer using a Police Public Call Box on a London street. The Metropolitan Police introduced police boxes throughout the London area between 1928 and 1937

Telephone Switchboard
New Scotland Yard switchboard

Hand and Quill Pen
Writing with a quill pen

First airmail letter delivered, Windsor Castle
The first airmail letter ever to be delivered is handed to the Postmaster of Windsor, to whom it is addressed, on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle

A postman in the Scottish Highlands
A postman delivers a letter on foot in the Scottish Highlands

Asian Elephant - baby animal trumpeting, Emmen, Holland
USH-2733 Indian / Asian Elephant - baby animal trumpeting Emmen, Holland Elephas maximus Duncan Usher Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only

Monks Copying Manuscript
Monastic copyists replicating manuscripts in the scriptorium of their monastery

Switchboard Girls / 1930S
Girls working on a telephone switchboard, watched over by a stern-looking supervisor

Dewey Decimal System
Card index showing use of the Dewey Decimal Classification system, the most widely used library classification system, devised by Melvil Dewey in the 1870s

Tatler First Issue 1709
THE TATLER Founded by Richard Steele, Joseph Addison was a major contributor. The Tatler was succeeded by The Spectator in 1711

Orford Ness Lighthouse, Suffolk
View of Orfordness (Orford Ness) Lighthouse, and the station of the submarine electric telegraph linking England and Holland

Gutenbergs printing press
Gutenberg inspects the first sheet of his Bible, which has just come off the press

Gutenbergs press, with books
Gutenbergs press, reconstructed from what was left of it, and housed in the Deutsche Buchgewerbehaus at Leipzig, Germany

The Bridge of Sighs, Hertford College, Oxford University, Oxford, early 20th century

Christmas parcels for the trenches 1916
Army Post Office in Regents Park, was receiving a rate of half a million parcels for Christmas a day for the soldiers in the trenches

The Evening Wireless - Komarjan Bridge, WW1
The Surrey Yeomanry on the Struma Valley Front, Salonika 1917-1918. The Evening Wireless - Komarjan Bridge. By Frank Algernon Stewart (1877-1945). 1917-1918

Seaplane carrier pigeon, WW1
A carrier pigeon housed on board a seaplane for the delivery of messages during the First World War. This particular bird delivered a message (no)

Marconi radio valve. This is a Marconi transmitter valve of the type M.T.6. Marconi patented his radio equipment in 1896, founding a company in 1897 to build the new equipment

Marconi with his radio, 19th century
Marconi with his radio, 19th-century artwork. The apparatus consists of a receiver and a transmitter. Italian physicist Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937)

Ms - C14 Italian Bible
page from a 14th century Italian Bible

Mary Qoss Messenger
A pigeon carries messages for Mary Queen of Scots, imprisoned at Tutbury, to Babington who is plotting to rescue her and set her back on the throne again

Esperanto / Zamenhof
ESPERANTO Dr Ludwig L Zamenhof, German linguist, inventor of Esperanto which he hopes will become an international auxiliary language

First Postbox, London
LETTER BOX The first Post Office letter box in London is installed at the corner of Fleet Street and Farringdon Street, at the foot of Ludgate Hill

Radio Station Tower at Tuckerton, NJ
Radio Station Tower at Tuckerton, New Jersey - 850 feet high Date: circa 1920s

Advert for Underwood portable typewriters 1931
Your personal letters... write them on the Underwood portable. With a quiet carriage that never interrupts the train of thought, a quieter key action and shift key

Advert for using a telephone
It pays to telephone ! Remember - a telephone in your home saves you time, money, and worry, and minimises inconvenience, anxiety, and loneliness

Ancient Alphabets
Various ancient writing examples including the Egyptian and Phoenician alphabets. Date: Circa 1760

Ancient Alphabets
Writing examples of the Arabic, Turkish and Persian alphabets. Date: Circa 1760

Early fire brigade street alarm
Early fire brigade alarm system. Historical artwork of a fireman testing a 19th-century combined telephonic and telegraphic street fire alarm system

Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station, aerial photograph. Goonhilly is the largest satellite Earth receiving station in the world with sixty communications dishes in total

Model of Russian Molniya-1 satellite
Molniya 1 communications satellite. Model of a Molniya-1 military communications satellite in its orbital configuration. Molniya-1 was the first attempt by the Soviet Union to provide satellite-based

VLA (Very Large Array) of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, New Mexico, United States of America, North America

My Turn by Muriel Dawson
A little red-haired girl studies the newspaper

Off to Fairyland by Muriel Dawson
A small child engrossed in a huge book of fairy tales

Mailboxes in Takaka, South Island, New Zealand
A row of colourful farm mail boxes at the roadside in Takaka, at the northern end of New Zealands South Island

Airmail postcards at Gamages, London
People at Gamages in Holborn, Central London, addressing postcards and posting them in the special London Aerial Postbox, in time for the first aerial mail service from Hendon to Windsor

Telephone Exchange 1929
Londons new Automatic Telephone Exchange, showing an engineer testing the new revolutionary system, whereby subscribers were connected without an operator

Soviet Women Read Pravda
Soviet women factory workers read Pravda on the day the Anglo-Soviet Agreement is announced

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"Unveiling the Art of Communications: From Flags to Phones and Beyond" Step into a world where messages transcend time and space, as we explore the captivating realm of communications. This poster takes us on a journey through various iconic symbols that have shaped our ability to connect with one another. The Night Mail whispers secrets in the darkness, carrying words across vast distances. Just like the flags used at Nelson's famous signal during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, communication has always been vital for success. In wintry London, a Police Public Call Box stands tall amidst snowflakes, reminding us of simpler times when this humble box served as a lifeline for those seeking help or connection. Meanwhile, bookbinding tools from 1875 symbolize how knowledge was meticulously preserved and shared through written word. The flags proudly displayed by the Royal Navy evoke images of bravery and unity—a visual language understood by sailors across oceans. And who can forget the Bakelite telephone? A revolutionary device that brought voices closer together than ever before. High above RAF Chicksands' circular aerial looms large—an emblematic structure representing an era when communication centers were crucial hubs connecting nations and safeguarding information. Across borders in Paris lies The Palace of Versailles—its opulence reflecting not only power but also intricate networks built upon diplomatic exchanges between nations throughout history. Delving deeper into ancient forms of communication, Codex Troano -1 reveals Mayan wisdom etched onto pages—a testament to humanity's enduring quest for understanding each other across cultures and civilizations. A postman gracefully pedaling his Pennyfarthing bicycle transports letters with care—reminding us that even in an age dominated by technology, human touch remains essential in conveying emotions through handwritten words. Bodinnick captures Fowey's charm circa 1930—a picturesque scene where mailboats once sailed along rivers delivering heartfelt messages from loved ones near and far. Finally, the Ms.