Telephotograph

A telephotograph is a photograph transmitted over a telephone line. The term was coined in the early 20th century and refers to the process of sending a photograph through the telephone network. This technology was particularly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before the widespread use of digital photography and the internet.

The process of creating a telephotograph involves scanning the photograph into a digital format, compressing the image to reduce its file size, and then transmitting it over a telephone line using a modem. The receiving end would then use a modem to decode the image and display it on a screen or print it out.

Telephotographs were often used for personal communication, as they allowed people to send photographs to each other over long distances. They were also used for business purposes, such as sending images of products or documents to clients or colleagues.

The quality of telephotographs was limited by the bandwidth of the telephone line and the resolution of the scanning and printing equipment. As a result, telephotographs were typically lower in quality than photographs printed on paper.

The advent of digital photography and the internet has largely replaced the use of telephotographs. However, the technology is still used in some specialized applications, such as remote sensing and telemedicine.