When did you last send someÂone a phoÂto? That quesÂtion may sound odd, owing to the sheer comÂmonÂness of the act in quesÂtion; in the twenÂty-twenÂties, we take phoÂtographs and share them worldÂwide withÂout givÂing it a secÂond thought. But in the nineÂteen-thirÂties, almost everyÂone who sent a phoÂto did so through the mail, if they did it at all. Not that there weren’t more effiÂcient means of transÂmisÂsion, at least to proÂfesÂsionÂals in the cutÂting-edge newsÂpaÂper indusÂtry: as draÂmaÂtized in the short 1937 docÂuÂmenÂtary above, the visuÂal accomÂpaÂniÂment to a sufÂfiÂcientÂly imporÂtant scoop could also be sent in mere minÂutes through the mirÂaÂcle of wire.
“TravÂelÂing almost as fast as the teleÂphone stoÂry, wired phoÂtos now go across the conÂtiÂnent with the speed of light,” declares the narÂraÂtor in breathÂless newsÂreel-announcÂer style. “It’s not a matÂter of sendÂing the whole picÂture at once, but of sepÂaÂratÂing the picÂture into fine lines, sendÂing those lines over a wire, and assemÂbling them at the othÂer end.”
IllusÂtratÂing this process is a clever mechanÂiÂcal prop involvÂing two spinÂdles on a hand crank, and a length of rope printÂed with the image of a car that unwinds from one spinÂdle onto the othÂer. To ensure the viewÂer’s comÂplete underÂstandÂing, aniÂmatÂed diaÂgrams also reveal the inner workÂings of the actuÂal scanÂning, sendÂing, and receivÂing appaÂraÂtus.
This process may now seem imposÂsiÂbly cumÂberÂsome, but at the time it repÂreÂsentÂed a leap forÂward for mass visuÂal media. In the decades after the SecÂond World War, the same basic prinÂciÂple — that of disÂasÂsemÂbling an image into lines at one point in order to reassemÂble it at anothÂer — would be employed in the homes and offices of ordiÂnary AmerÂiÂcans by devices such as the teleÂviÂsion set and fax machine. We know, as the viewÂers of 1937 didÂn’t, just how those anaÂlog techÂnoloÂgies would change the charÂacÂter of life and work in the twenÂtiÂeth cenÂtuÂry. As for what their digÂiÂtal descenÂdants will do to the twenÂty-first cenÂtuÂry, as they conÂtinÂue to break down all exisÂtence into not lines but bits, we’ve only just begun to find out.
RelatÂed conÂtent:
Watch a Local TV StaÂtion Switch From Black & White to ColÂor for First Time (1967)
CreÂative Uses of the Fax Machine: From Iggy Pop’s Bile to Stephen Hawking’s Snark
Based in Seoul, ColÂin Marshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the SubÂstack newsletÂter Books on Cities, the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.
TransÂmisÂsion of a phoÂto via wire forms the cliÂmax of the 1947 James StewÂart film “Call NorthÂside 777.”.
and yet, ironÂiÂcalÂly even with techÂnoÂlogÂiÂcal advanceÂments in 2023 i canÂnot watch the video, simÂply and only because i don’t live in amerÂiÂca. because in this future the world outÂside of amerÂiÂca simÂply doesÂn’t seem to exist.
FasÂciÂnatÂing, but sureÂly the realÂiÂty is that today we do exactÂly the same thing to transÂmit phoÂtos there is nothÂing new, is there?
InterÂestÂingÂly, we were still using this techÂnolÂoÂgy in 1994 for fast robust transÂfer of images on the batÂtleÂfield. The difÂferÂence was the receivÂing end used a voice coil driÂven hamÂmer to tap out the picÂture onto a carÂbon paper/paper on the rotatÂing drum. That techÂnolÂoÂgy has finalÂly been outÂmodÂed.