Title

First telegraph despatch from Lyon, 4 March 1815, (1921). Creator: Unknown.

Caption

First telegraph despatch from Lyon, 4 March 1815, (1921). 'Première dépêche télégraphique de Lyon'. Message sent via French inventor Claude Chappe's (1763-1805) optical telegraph (semaphore) system, devised in 1793. Messages were converted into semaphore using movable arms on the tops of repeater towers which were placed from 12 to 25 km (10 to 20 miles) apart. The message was read through a telescope, then relayed it to the next tower. Messages sent from Paris could reach the outer fringes of the country in a matter of three or four hours. Before, it had taken despatch riders on horseback a similar number of days. Chappe's system was in use until about 1850 when electric telegraph systems replaced it. This message states that the 'emperor has arrived on the coast of France with 1600 men'. Facsimile document from "Napoleon", by Raymond Guyot, [H. Floury, Paris, 1921]

Date

1921

Credit line

Photo12/Heritage Images/The Print Collector

Reference

HRM19G25_248

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

License type

Rights managed

Available size

59,0Mb (6,9Mb) / 12,8in x 17,9in / 3842 x 5364 (300dpi)

Keywords

communications information country French France corsica war text telecommunications location century handwriting first message document news concept corsican telegraph telecommunication twenties signature despatch 19th century semaphore B W 1920s 20th century nineteenth century The Print Collector Napoleonic Wars telegraphy Unknown Napoleon Bonaparte I Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon 1st Consul Bonaparte Bonaparte the Corsican Napoleone di Buonaparte Napo Raymond Napoleon l Napoleon 1st Napoleon Buonaparte Buonaparte Raymond Guyot Guyot