Tucked away in the hold was "Gallery of the Louvre" (1831-1833), a massive six by nine foot canvas that
would take him 14 months to complete, Morse intended for the painting, which depicted some dozen of
the Louvre's greatest works displayed together in an imagined museum gallery, to serve as a sweeping
art history lesson for the American people. The painting, he was certain, would finally propel him to fame.
But as it turned out, his true masterpiece..the creation that would earn him international celebrity, was
not a painting at all.
Morse began to dabble in electromagnetics after his stay in Europe, in experiments that would eventually
lead to the invention of the telegraph, he sent the first message, "What hath God wrought", from Washington,
D.C. to Baltimore in 1844, the words have since become indelible, his name graces the language of dots and
dashes still in use by radio operators today.
It was in 1836 Samuel Morse along with Joseph Henry and Alfrd Vaik invented the Morse Code
"His painting career got completely overshadowed by the telegraph, which as earth-shattering" explained
Morse scholar Paul Staiti, a professor at 'Mount Holyoke College, "The telegraph was the first time that
communications and travel became things, so Morse is rightfully famous for that.,but he gave a substantive
career especially in New York.
1836
99
9
The important number is seen once again...