About
In the mid-19th century, this machine sent copies of images via telegraph lines.
Long before ASCII images or the fax machine, there was another way to send an image: the pantelegraph. This contraption was invented by Giovanni Caselli in the mid-19th century. While teaching at the University of Florence, Caselli dedicated much of his time to studying how images could be transmitted via telegraph. Working with the French engineer Paul-Gustave Froment, he produced the first pantelegraph in 1858. Caselli’s invention had captured the attention of prominent leaders including Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Napoleon III.
