175 years ago, Paul Julius Reuter, a reporter and the founder of Reuters, wrote to Nathan Mayer Rothschild.
Dated 2 April 1850, the letter offered the bank the chance to become the first London subscriber to his new electrical transmission service.
The service was claimed to avoid the delays caused by heavy demands on the public telegraph.
Before the telegraph was invented, messages were transferred using homing pigeons, and these already gave Reuter access to financial news from the Paris stock exchange.
Once a telegraph line was laid between Britain and continental Europe, Reuter moved to London, renting an office near the Stock Exchange and our offices.
Reuters provided our London office with political and commercial news from America, India and China.
The final letter in the archive, dated 3 March 1865, indicates payments for news provision services.
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