Alexander Bain received a British patent for a facsimile-like device in 1843. His system utilized pendulums on both ends of a line, which were synchronized using mechanical latches to transmit images composed of metal elements.
Frederick Bakewell introduced a rotating cylinder design in 1848, which used insulating ink on metal foil. Later, Giovanni Caselli developed the pantelegraph, which operated commercially between Paris and Lyon in 1865 and between Saint Petersburg and Moscow from 1866 to 1868.
In 1904, Arthur Korn transmitted a photograph between Munich and Nuremberg using a photo-sensor system. By 1907, his devices were used by newspapers in Berlin, Paris, and London, reducing transmission time to approximately 12 minutes.
Edouard Belin invented the belinograph, which converted image relief into sound signals via a microphone. In 1914, Le Journal published the first reportage photo transmitted this way, with the process taking 4 minutes.
In 1924, AT&T demonstrated a system for transmitting photos between Cleveland, New York, and Chicago. By 1925, the company used a 1300 Hz carrier frequency and tuning forks to synchronize transmission, achieving a 7-minute transfer time for a 5-by-7-inch image.
