Samuel Morse, That’s Who! by Tracy Nelson Maurer

 This biography for children brings to life an American inventor and painter.

Samuel Finley Breese Morse (1791-1872) was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He went to Yale College and London’s Royal Academy of Arts.

Samuel had a natural nag for inventing, except others were a step ahead of him. He designed a water pump with his brother, but nobody bought it. Then, a marble-cutting machine which was already invented. Then, he experimented with wild paint mixes, for example, milk for a pearly effect.

Above all, he fancied himself as an artist. He travelled from town to town, mostly painting portraits to make a living. But he dreamed of painting grand scenes as he found America’s taste in art boorish.

However, people were not interested in his paintings. He still persisted. He sailed for Europe in 1829 to study the Old World masters and paint a huge picture of their art to show to the people in the US.

At the same time, in France, he saw the famous French optical telegraph system in action, which was created in 1794 and served during wartime. Towers relayed codes for messages if it wasn’t foggy or dark. He wanted to create something that wouldn’t be dependent on the weather or daylight. But for now, he concentrated on finishing his masterpiece which he titled Gallery of the Louvre.

In 1832, he sailed back home with his massive painting. On ship Sully, he learned about possibilities for electricity. It sparked an idea. He wanted to create a system that would use electric pulses to instantly carry coded messages through wires between two machines. Thus, it wouldn’t be dependent on the weather nor daylight. He sketched a code using dots and dashes.

Back in NY, no one was interested in his painting. Instead, people became fascinated by his idea of an electromagnetic telegraph machine.

Thus, he mostly focused on his telegraph. He experimented with an alphabet code and other measures to record a message, but he needed help. He shared his idea with two of his friends, one professor, another was machine-minded. When the team clicked, he set aside art and focused on the invention.

In 1840, he received a US patent for his telegraph.

In 1842, a demonstration was presented between Manhattan and Governors Island. It went well until a ship crew cut his wire not knowing what it was for and he found out about it later on. Nevertheless, he persisted.

In 1843, Congress granted him money for a telegraph line between Baltimore and DC. With many delays, they finally started digging trenches to set the cable in lead pipes. But it turned out that poorly made pipes caused wires to fail in damp soil. He needed a new plan. Now, the wires would go up between poles.

In May 1844, a first long-distance telegraph message is sent.

In time, telegraph lines crossed from coast to coast. Then, undersea cables linked continents. The first successful transatlantic telegraph was installed in 1858. Telegraph offices appeared connecting messages of all kinds.

During the Civil War, both sides used the telegraph to communicate.

Morse died in 1872, four years before Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone.

In 1982, Gallery of the Louvre sold for $3.25 million, then a record for a work by an American painter.

This biography exemplifies a man who had a nag for inventing and who also had a talent for painting. He persisted with both which turned out to be balancing him well. When he couldn’t make it in inventing, he focused on painting. After establishing his reputation as a portrait painter, he focused on inventing a single-wire telegraph system based on European telegraphs. He travelled to Europe to improve his skills in painting and that led him to contributing to his biggest invention of his lifetime. 

This beautifully illustrated biography is written with lyrical prose. As it’s mean for young audience ages 4-8 years, it rather needs to be read to them, and some words might have to be explained. The storytelling is grasping. This biography doesn’t bring his success in painting. It rather focuses on his inventing, highlighting his struggles and setbacks in it.

Source: Henry Holt & Co

 

 

TRENDING INSPIRATION: Balancing act between art and science led Samuel Morse to success. When he struggled with inventing, he turned to painting. When he studied to improve his skill in painting, it led him back to inventing – his biggest success. Thus, the focus doesn’t necessarily have to be on one venture. Sometimes, we need to leave what we’re passionate about for some time in order to gain a fresh perspective on it.

 

 

 

Traits:

·         He had a natural nag for inventing, except others were a step ahead of him.

·         He also wanted to be an artist. He travelled from town to town, mostly painting portraits to make a living.

·         He travelled to Europe to study Old Masters to improve his skills in painting.

·         In Europe, he learned about telegraph, and that led him back to his nag for inventing.

·         He gathered the right team as he knew he didn’t have enough knowledge for improving telegraph.

·         With the right team, he patented his idea, but there were some setbacks in putting it to work. He persisted. When one plan failed, he came up with another until he figured out the right way to transmit the telegraph.

·         First he connected states on the East Coast, then he connected East and West costs, then he connected the continents. He had a big picture in mind, but he knew he had to take smaller steps in order to get to the big picture.

 

 

“Science and art are not opposed.” – Samuel Morse