Inventors and Engineers
A chronological list of nine autographs from the 17th to the 20th century
-
1Autograph letter fragment.Probably Delft, ca 1683?.
€ 25,000.00The beginning of an unpublished letter to an unidentified recipient. It often happens to him, writes van Leeuwenhoek, that he finds himself working on matters the full import of which he does not grasp, and so he would be glad to learn the opinions of Mr. Tevenot (i.e., the French scholar Melchisédech Thévenot, 1620-92): "Myn Heer. Gelijk ik veeltijts …
-
2Handwritten receipt for rentHandwritten receipt for rent, signed "J. C. Jacquard".Oullins, 19 May 1823.
InquireJacquard spent his retirement in Oullins, just outside Lyon, where he died in 1834. "He played an important role in the development of the earliest programmable loom (the ‘Jacquard loom’), which in turn played an important role in the development of other programmable machines, such as computers" (Center for Computing History). Charles Babbage …
-
3Autograph letter signed ("M. I. Brunel").London, 12 Jan 1842.
€ 2,500.00To Sir William Symonds (1782-1856), Surveyor of the Navy: "My dear Sir Williams. Any day most convenient to you will be equally so to me: and the more of your friends you may bring the more gratified I shall be. Give me notice of a day or even 12 hours - every thing will then be ready for your reception. I am my dear Sir Williams Yours very truly …
-
4Autograph letter signed ("Saml. F. B. Morse").Poughkeepsie, 12 Dec 1862.
€ 4,500.00To Charles H. Morse, responding to a query about a man who may have been a former employee, and requesting more information: "[...] By having answers to these questions, I might be able to find his friends, and the relief he requires [...]".
With a printed order of service for his memorial service on 16th April 1872 (8vo, 1 p.).
After …
-
5Letter signed.Munich, 30 Nov 1903.
€ 7,500.00To the later Nobel Peace laureate Henri La Fontaine, to whom he sends his recently published book on "Solidarity", referring to La Fontaine's related work "Essai d'une philosophie de la solidarité".
On headed stationery.
-
6Typed letter signed with 3 autogr. lines.Washington, DC, 16 Jul 1920.
€ 1,000.00Fine collection of material about Alexander Graham Bell's experimental designs for hydrofoils and flying machines in his last years, i. e. the time of World War I and immediately thereafter. The Smithsonian Institution's librarian Brockett writes to Bell: "The fact that I have not written to you does not mean that I have not been going ahead with …
-
7Compliments from Nikola TeslaPortrait photograph inscribed, dated and signed.No place, 25 Apr 1921.
InquireStunning, large-format portrait photograph, inscribed by the sitter to an unidentified recipient with "Compliments from Nikola Tesla".
The great inventor is seen at half-length in a thoughtful pose, starkly illuminated and sitting slightly inclined to his right, his left hand in his lap, his right elbow poised on an armrest, his forefinger …
-
8Printed menu signed.Paris, 30 Sep 1925.
€ 450.00Menu card of a dinner given on the occasion of the "XIe Conférence Télégraphique Internationale", hosted by the "Compagnies de T. S. F. étrangères" and chaired by senator Guglielmo Marconi.
Signed on the second leaf. Old punched holes along the upper edge and pencil note "M. Belin".
-
9Autograph letter signed.Bandol Var, 17 Jul 1939.
€ 2,200.00To the inventor and "father of the fax machine" Édouard Belin, thanking for congratulations and expressing his admiration for Belin's achievements: "Combien je suis touché, mon cher Monsieur Belin des félicitations sie aimablement exprimées que vous m'adressez. Je vous en remercie cordialement et vous prie de croire à l'admiration que j'éprouve …