Excerpt:
The online version of the Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers at the Library of Congress comprises a selection of 4,695 items (totaling about 51,500 images). This presentation contains correspondence, scientific notebooks, journals, blueprints, articles, and photographs documenting Bell's invention of the telephone and his involvement in the first telephone company, his family life, his interest in the education of the deaf, and his aeronautical and other scientific research. Dates span from 1862 to 1939, but the bulk of the materials are from 1865 to 1920. Included among Bell's papers are pages from his experimental notebook from March 10, 1876, describing the first successful experiment with the telephone, during which he spoke through the instrument to his assistant the famous words, "Mr. Watson--Come here--I want to see you." Bell's various roles in life as teacher, inventor, celebrity, and family man are covered extensively in his papers. The digitization of this selection of the Bell Family Papers is made possible through the generous support of the AT&T Foundation.
Annotation:
This site offers nearly 5,000 facsimile items from the large collection of Alexander Graham Bell Family papers. Materials include scientific notebooks, blueprints, articles and speeches written by Bell, seven photographs, more than 3,000 letters to and from Bell and members of his family, and even a few poems Bell wrote as a child. Bell's correspondence includes over 100 letters between Bell and Helen Keller or between Bell and others discussing Keller. The collection may be searched by subject, name, keyword, or series. There are over 100 series of material from aviation to radium to the telephone. Each series includes from one to 60 documents of between one and 300 pages each. The site provides a guide to the material, but no introductory or biographical essay. The site will best serve researchers who already know something about Bell, rather than those just beginning their research.