Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Morse, Samuel Finley Breese (1791-1872) to Edward P. Fry

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04503.07 Author/Creator: Morse, Samuel Finley Breese (1791-1872) Place Written: New York, New York Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 14 March 1870 Pagination: 3 p. : docket ; 20.5 x 25.3 cm. Order a Copy

Complains about mail he has sent that has failed to reach its destination, including a recent letter to Fry. Includes a transcript of the earlier note that was never received in which he thanks Fry for information sent to him proving that Morse was interested in having the government purchase the telegraph invention back in 1844 (see GLC04503.06 for original letter).

Morse is credited with inventing the telegraph and Morse code. In 1844, he sent the first telegraphic message, from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. He was also an accomplished artist and politician.

Morse, Samuel Finley Breese, 1791-1872
Fry, Edward P., fl. 1844-1870

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