A Drawing That Made History
On February 12, 1935, when the U.S. Navy airship USS Macon crashed into the Pacific Ocean, Associated Press faced a dilemma. Their brand-new Wirephoto service had not yet transmitted a photo. But time was running out. A staff artist, Noel Sickles, drew a sketch of the disaster. Despite initial reluctance from AP staff—who argued it wasn’t a photo—the image was sent. It became the first drawing ever transmitted by AP Wirephoto.
From Sketches to Speed
The concept of transmitting images dates back to Ernest Hummel’s Telediagraph in 1895 and Édouard Belin’s Bélinographe in 1913. In 1921, the Bartlane system sent the first picture across the Atlantic. But it was the 1930s that brought speed. Vladimir Zworykin’s 1929 invention allowed near-instant page transmission.
Global Competition, Portable Innovation
By 1936, portable wirephoto machines could transmit pictures over standard phone lines. News agencies raced to send images faster. A Wide World News Service photo of Macon survivors reached New York in time for the next day’s paper.
Fashion, War, and Controversy
Wirephotos weren’t limited to news. In WWII, Honolulu sent radiophotos of leaflets to Saipan. In the 1950s, Frederick Milton’s sketches of Paris fashion—sent by Bélinographe—led to lawsuits from French designers.
On February 12, 1935, the Navy airship USS Macon crashed into the Pacific. AP's new Wirephoto system had yet to send a photo, so a staff artist drew the scene.
Though hesitant to use a sketch, AP sent it. That drawing became their first transmitted image…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/iaMdKNGySU
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) April 18, 2025