Peter Faber (telegraph specialist) facts for kids
Peter Christian Frederik Faber (born October 7, 1810, in Copenhagen, died April 25, 1877) was a Danish inventor and songwriter. He helped bring the telegraph to Denmark. In his home country, he is best known for writing many popular songs. Faber was also a hobby photographer. He is even credited with taking the oldest known photograph in Denmark.
Early Life and Education
Peter Faber was born in Copenhagen on October 17, 1810. His father was Rasmus Hjort Faber, a smith. His mother was Ane Margrethe Westphal. Peter finished his studies at Westen's Institute in 1827.
Pioneering Telegraphy
After finishing his technology degree in 1840, Peter Faber became an inspector. He worked at the Polyteknisk Læreanstalt, which was a college for advanced technology. There, he closely watched how electromagnetic telegraphy was developing. Telegraphy was a new way to send messages using electricity.
Faber worked with Hans Christian Ørsted, a famous scientist. They wrote a report about how to set up telegraph lines in Denmark. When a telegraph line successfully connected Helsingør and Hamburg, Faber became the director in charge. He quickly changed the underground cables to overhead wires. This made the telegraph network much bigger. It grew from 530 kilometers to 2,800 kilometers. The network had 200 relay stations and more than 300 employees.
Beloved Songwriting
Peter Faber wrote many songs during his life. Several of these songs are still very popular today. One famous song is Højt fra træets grønne top. Families in Denmark always sing this song around the Christmas tree. Another well-known song is Dengang jeg drog af sted. He wrote this song to celebrate a Danish victory. This win happened at the 1848 Battle of Bov.
Early Photography Work
The oldest photograph taken in Denmark is believed to be by Peter Faber. It is a daguerreotype of Ulfeldts Plads. This area is now called Gråbrødre Torv. The picture is kept at the Copenhagen City Museum.
A daguerreotype often showed a reversed image of what was actually there. This happened unless a mirror was used with the camera. Experts have studied the photograph carefully. They believe it was taken in July 1840. The picture shows only one person. This is because the exposure time was about 15 minutes in sunlight. The person is a man sleeping at the bottom of a tall pillar.
