Deck of Great Eastern, Aft: the Paying-out Machinery (1866) by Robert Charles Dudley (British, 1826-1909). One of the 19th century's great technological achievements was to lay a telegraphic cable beneath the Atlantic, allowing messages to speed back and forth between North America and Europe in minutes, rather than ten or twelve days by steamer. An initially successful attempt in 1858, led by Cyrus W. Field and financed by the Atlantic Telegraph Company, failed after three weeks.

---

Laying the Atlantic Telegraph Cable, 1866

---

Size: 3660px × 2541px
Location:
Photo credit: © Science History Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1826-1909, 1860s, 1865, 1866, 19th, achievements, aft, art, atlantic, boat, british, cable, century, charles, communicating, communication, company, deck, dudley, early, eastern, exportedakg, great, history, illustration, laying, machinery, ocean, painting, paying-, person, robert, sea, ship, technological, tele-communication, telegraph, telegraphic, transatlanic, transatlantic, undersea, water, working