TESLA ON ELECTRICITY. TESLA, NIKOLA. 1856-1943. Typed Letter Signed ('N. Tesla') to N.S. Amstutz...

TESLA ON ELECTRICITY. TESLA, NIKOLA. 1856-1943. Typed Letter Signed ('N. Tesla') to N.S. Amstutz advising on his experiments with induction coils, 1 p, 8vo (268 x 220 mm), on his personal letterhead, New York, July 25, 1894, autograph correction in body, old folds. AN EXCELLENT TESLA LETTER OFFERING ADVICE ON MANAGING ELECTROMAGNETIC CURRENT IN AN INDUCTION COIL. Responding to an inquiry on an experiment from Noah S. Amstutz, Tesla offers perspective from years of experimentation with alternate current. The recipient Amstutz had patented a method for sending pictures electronically in 1891, and the following year he would release his Amstutz Electro-Artograph which could transmit a photograph through electric circuit by varying the frequency of the current, creating an engraved plate on the other end according to the variance—essentially the world's first fax machine. In a 1920 article for the Electrical Review forecasting the development of television, Tesla wrote describing advances in transmitting pictures electronically across great distances, 'the first practical success belongs to an American engineer, N. Amstutz, who used photographic sending clichés in relief for the first time and with complete success. Amstutz was a true pioneer, and his improvement is essential in the carrying out of the modern processes ... Amstutz was undoubtedly the first to produce and use the clichés on which the up-to-date art vitally depends ... Samples of his work have been preserved which clearly show how much he was ahead of his time.' Tesla was the leading innovator in the production and application of electromagnetic induction. In 1888, inspired by the experiments of Heinrich Hertz, Tesla employed high-frequency resonance techniques to amplify the generative capacity and voltage output of his induction coils to create the world's first efficient and meaningfully powerful AC motor. Heralded as 'one of the ten greatest discoveries of all time,' Tesla's induction motors were instrumental in harnessing the power of Niagara Falls in 1896, with his polyphase generators generating 50,000 horsepower, an unprecedented amount of power at that time, enough to power the city of Buffalo 30 miles away. The decisive blow in the battle between Tesla's AC and Edison's DC power, this world changing event has been called by UIEE President Charles Scott, 'the most tremendous event in all engineering history!' Tesla's AC motor forms the cornerstone of the whole system of production, transmission and consumption of electricity used to this day. Tesla's visionary genius helped him make significant contributions not just in creating the modern electric system, but his Tesla coils allowed for new forms of lighting, advances in radio, television and remote control. This outstanding letter shows the far-reaching influence of his knowledge and inventions, and the pervasive influence in his conceptions of electro-magnetism in the modern world. Letters of Tesla dealing directly with electromagnetic induction are rare. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing