ARTOGRAPH An automatic machine, known also as the electric artograph and telautograph, for sending sketches or line drawings along a telegraph wire, invented about r89r by N. S. Amstutz, of Cleve land, Ohio. According to a description published at the time, the picture was photographed on a " stripping film " of gelatine and potassium bichromate, which, after washing with lukewarm water to remove the portions not hardened by the action of the light, gave a picture in relief, more or less high, according to the tones of the original. The next step was to vary the strength of current in the telegraph wire according to the variations of light and shade in the picture— that is to say, according to the heights and depths of the etched film. This was done by an arrange ment similar to the stylus which moves over the indentations on the wax surface of the phono graph. The point of the stylus passed over every
part of the film, and tripped up and down accord ing to the degree of relief. By a multiplying lever its movements up and down were caused to depress a series of keys which completed the electric circuit. If the relief was very low only one key was depressed, and more keys were closed in proportion to the depth of the relief. The current was thus varied in strength accord ing to the degree of relief on the film. At the receiving end the current passed through an electromagnet, which bore with more or less force on a travelling graver, according to the strength of the current, and the design was cut in a surface of wax, from which an electrotype could be obtained for printing purposes. The results published at the time of the introduction of the system were crude.