Wireless Collection

Marconi radio apparatus
Marconi radio equipment on a ship. The equipment includes headphones and a Morse code key (lower centre). The equipment is labelled (left-right)

WARDENCLYFFE TOWER, c1910. Wardenclyffe Tower, also known as Tesla Tower, a wireless telecommunications tower designed by Nikola Tesla in Shoreham, Long Island

Tape recorder
Ampex reel-to-reel tape recorder and Gates Radio Company modulation monitor, photographed in recording studio mock-up at Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, Pontiac, Illinois

Bonzo adds a fifth to the quartet
Bonzo, listening to music on the radio, adds a fifth to the quartet, and starts to howl. Date: 1923

SOS message from Titanic
A wireless message received by the Russian steamer Birma from the Titanic about five minutes after Titanic struck the iceberg that sank her

W. Heath Robinson
Cartoon, Heath Robinsons Broadcast Drawing. My Wireless Set showing an old radio. Please note: Credit must appear as Courtesy of the Estate of Mrs J.C.Robinson/Pollinger Ltd/ILN/Mary Evan"

John Logie Bairds experiment, showing how television transm
Sending pictures through the air. Bairds system of television transmits its wireless pictures. John Logie Baird transmitted a moving image by wireless, showing gradations of light and shade

The Evening Wireless - Komarjan Bridge, WW1
The Surrey Yeomanry on the Struma Valley Front, Salonika 1917-1918. The Evening Wireless - Komarjan Bridge. By Frank Algernon Stewart (1877-1945). 1917-1918

Marconi radio valve. This is a Marconi transmitter valve of the type M.T.6. Marconi patented his radio equipment in 1896, founding a company in 1897 to build the new equipment

Hat Wireless 1930S
A man tunes into his hat radio!

Vacuuming a Wireless
Frequent cleaning of a wireless set (radio) can easily be done with use of the spare parts of a Hoover vacuum cleaner

Largest Wireless Valve
The worlds largest wireless valve, being made in a factory in Germany

The New Magic: Sending Pictures by Wireless and the Unescapable Telephone, c1935. From Our Wonderful World, Volume II, edited by J.A. Hammerton. [The Amalgamated Press, Ltd. London]

Wireless officer sending a message by Morse Code from on board a ship, 1916
Wireless officer sending a message by morse code from on board a ship, 1916. Wireless telegraphy at sea was made possible by the type of sending

RMS Republic, SS Florida and wireless-telegraphy room
RMS Republic sank on 24rd January 1909, near Nantucket, Massachusetts, after collision with SS Florida had occurred the day before

Guglielmo Marconi, radio inventor
Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937), Italian physicist and inventor of the radio. Marconi patented his radio system in Britain, established the Marconis Wireless Telegraph Company in London in 1897

Survivors of the Empress of Ireland. 1. Mr Edward Bamford, junior wireless operator on the Empress of Ireland. 2. The Rev J. Wallet, of the United Methodist Church, Westcliff-On-Sea. 3

Princess Elizabeth first broadcast, 1940
Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) making her first radio broadcast on 11 October 1940 to British children evacuated abroad to the United States and Canada. Date: 1940

Tony Blackburn at twenty two (22) ex Radio One DJ disk jockey. Picture taken as Tony Blackburn completes the first ever BBC Radio One broadcast. Picture taken 1st October 1967

Marconi radio apparatus
Marconi radio equipment. This is a Marconi type 31 crystal receiver for ships. Marconi patented his radio equipment in 1896, founding a company in 1897 to build the new equipment

Traffic Accident Group
A Metropolitan Police Traffic Accident Group, consisting of two Triumph motorcycles and one Wolseley 6/110 motor car, fitted with radio transmitter and loudspeaker

Portrait of Marchese Guglielmo Marconi
This is a portrait of Italian inventor, Marconi, born 1874, who revolutionised the world of communications with his wireless invention

Communications Room on an Atlantic liner
A communications room onboard an Atlantic liner, an example of the kind that would have been on board the Titanic. Built by the shipyard Harland and Wolff for White Star Lines

Demonstration of the wireless telephone, June 1920. In the 1920s, broadcasting was still in its infancy, with radio transmitters and receivers owned only by amateur enthusiasts

Heliograph used by British army in Africa
Heliograph used in the British army in Africa, probably during the Boer War (1899-1902). The heliograph is a wireless telegraph that signals by flashes of sunlight (generally using Morse code)

SS Lucania - Cunard
SS Lucania. This Cunarder is the first ship to be equipped with Signor Marconis wireless system : for a while she holds the Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic crossing. Date: circa 1920s

Villagers Gathered Around the Wireless
Villagers in Charlwood, Sussex, gathered around the wireless radio in a local pub. 1940

TELEGRAPH OPERATORS, c1912. Telegraph operators copying messages transmitted from ships at sea, at the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company school in New York. Photograph, c1912

Princess Elizabeth broadcasting to the Empire
Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) at a BBC microphone making her 21st birthday broadcast to the Empire during the Royal Tour of South Africa on 21st April 1947. Date: 1947

Duties of a large bombers crew by G. H. Davis
The duties of a large bombers crew of seven during the Second World War. Every man has a special task allotted to him. Showing a 27-ton heavy bomber over its target in Germany. Date: 1942

Advert for the recruitment of men for the RAF 1941
Fly with the RAF. Volunteer now! Heres the chance you ve been waiting for - to fly with the R.A.F be a pilot (age 18 - 30), Air Observer (18 - 32) or wireless operator/air gunner (18 - 32)

Wireless communication
MODEL RELEASED. Wireless communication. Boy using a bluetooth hands-free headset for his mobile phone

Police radio operators

John Ambrose Fleming
JOHN AMBROSE FLEMING English electrical engineer; contributed to development of telephony, electric lighting and wireless telegraphy

Communications / Radio
The Wireless Telegraphy room of an Atlantic liner

The wireless transmission room at Croydon Aerodrome, London, England which was re-opened in 1928
3058465 The wireless transmission room at Croydon Aerodrome, London, England which was re-opened in 1928. From The Story of 25 Eventful Years in Pictures published 1935 by Unknown photographer

Illustration showing a Mance Heliograph, a wireless solar telegraph that signals by flashes of sunlight
5311590 Illustration showing a Mance Heliograph, a wireless solar telegraph that signals by flashes of sunlight (generally using Morse code) reflected by a mirror

Wireless apparatus on an aeroplane during World War One, from The History of the Great War, pub.c. 1919
3502808 Wireless apparatus on an aeroplane during World War One, from The History of the Great War, pub.c. 1919; (add.info.: Wireless apparatus on an aeroplane during World War One)

Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge, 1851 - 1940. British physicist and writer. From Bibby's Annual published 1910
2638457 Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge, 1851 - 1940. British physicist and writer. From Bibby's Annual published 1910.; Private Collection; Photo © Hilary Morgan.

Cartoon of Marconi with his wireless, 1903
NWI4947652 Cartoon of Marconi with his wireless, 1903.; (add.info.: Cartoon of Marconi with his wireless, 1903.); Photo © North Wind Pictures.

Woman in wireless telephone (the TSF) costume, with speaker hat, receiver and gold dress
FLO4684452 Woman in wireless telephone (the TSF) costume, with speaker hat, receiver and gold dress. Lithograph by unknown artist with stencil handcolouring from " Nos Travestis"

Mr Punch thanking Marconi for wireless telegraphy which was saving lives at sea
540142 Mr Punch thanking Marconi for wireless telegraphy which was saving lives at sea. Leonard Raven-Hill cartoon from Punch, London, 22 October 1913 by Raven-Hill

A British submarine, during World War One, showing the wireless apparatus, from The History of the Great War, pub.c
3502729 A British submarine, during World War One, showing the wireless apparatus, from The History of the Great War, pub.c

What is thought to be the first wireless set
3734037 What is thought to be the first wireless set.; (add.info.: Photograph of what is thought to be the first wireless set invented by David Edward Hughes)

Listening to the radio, 1936 (oil on canvas)
BAL269938 Listening to the radio, 1936 (oil on canvas) by Kotov, Pyotr Ivanovich (1889-1953); 75x90 cm; Regional Art Museum, Bryansk.

French field wireless, between c1915 and 1918. Creator: Bain News Service
French field wireless, between c1915 and 1918. Wireless equipment in a truck in France during World War I.

Wireless, Pratt Institute, Oct 1917. Creator: Bain News Service
Wireless, Pratt Institute, Oct 1917. Members of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in telegraph training at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York during World War I.

U.S. Army - Motorized Anti-Aircraft Battery, 1910. Creator: Harris & Ewing. U.S
U.S. Army - Motorized Anti-Aircraft Battery, 1910. [Signal corps in Cadillacs, men and boys look on]

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

Wireless technology has come a long way since the days of Marconi's radio apparatus and W. Heath Robinson's ingenious contraptions. From the humble tape recorder to Bonzo adding a fifth member to the quartet, wireless innovations have revolutionized communication. One of the most iconic moments in wireless history was the SOS message sent from the ill-fated Titanic, forever etching this technology into our collective memory. During World War I, The Evening Wireless at Komarjan Bridge played a crucial role in transmitting vital information across enemy lines. Advancements continued with Marconi's radio valve and John Logie Baird's groundbreaking television transmission experiment. These pioneers paved the way for modern broadcasting as we know it today. Innovations weren't limited to just communication devices; they extended even to fashion. In the 1930s, hat wireless became all the rage, combining style with functionality. But it wasn't all about cutting-edge gadgets; sometimes mundane tasks like vacuuming could be made easier with wireless technology. Imagine effortlessly cleaning your home without worrying about tangled cords. The quest for bigger and better also drove engineers to create colossal inventions like the largest wireless valve ever built. This technological marvel pushed boundaries and expanded possibilities in ways previously unimaginable. And who can forget Wardenclyffe Tower? Also known as Tesla Tower, this ambitious project aimed to provide worldwide wireless power transmission—a concept ahead of its time that still captivates our imagination today. From early experiments by visionaries like Marconi and Baird to fashionable accessories and grandiose projects like Wardenclyffe Tower, wireless technology has shaped our world in countless ways. It continues to evolve rapidly, connecting us seamlessly across vast distances while reminding us of how far we've come from those early days of tinkering with wires and antennas.