Teleautograph – Invented by Elisha Gray

The teleautograph was a precursor to the fax machine. It worked by transmitting electrical impulses recorded and sent to a receiving with a pen attached.

Invented by Elisha Gray in 1888, the patent claimed that it would allow the transmission of one person’s handwriting to a distant point over a two-wire circuit.

The stylus was controlled by horizontal and vertical bars, and was exhibited at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

The teleautograph was later modified to the telewriter by Foster Ritchie, an invention that allowed for the same function but also talk over the telephone at the same time.

The teleautograph was very popular for transmitting signatures over distance, with a focus of use by banks, hospitals, and other paper work heavy industries.

Teleautograph Corporation changed it’s name several times, and was acquired by Arden/Mayfair in 1971. Arden/Mayfair was later acquired in 1993 by Danka industries and renamed it Danka/ Omnifax, and in 1999 the division was purchased by Xerox and called the Omnifax division, since absorbed into the larger corporation.

Article References:

Other Historical Facsimile Inventions:

  • 3D Fax – Method of sending binary files over fax, as well as 3D imaging and archival method
  • Fultograph – Transmitted image signals over radio waves
  • Pantelegraph -Precursor to the Fax Machine using telegraph lines
  • Teleautograph -Precursor to the Fax Machine, used for sending signatures over distances