author
Frederick C. (Frederick Collier) Bakewell
1800–1869
An early science writer and inventor, he is best remembered for helping turn the idea of the fax machine into a working reality. His experiments with electric image transmission made him one of the more surprising pioneers of modern communication.
1 Audiobook
Great Facts A Popular History and Description of the Most Remarkable Inventions During the Present Century
by Frederick C. (Frederick Collier) Bakewell
About the author
Born in Wakefield in 1800, Frederick Collier Bakewell was an English physicist, inventor, and science writer. He became known for improving Alexander Bain’s early facsimile concept and demonstrating a working copying electric telegraph at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851.
Bakewell also wrote on geology and other scientific subjects, following a family interest in science; his father, Robert Bakewell, was a noted geologist. Alongside his experimental work, he was active in journalism and scientific writing, which helped him build a reputation beyond the laboratory.
Although his name is less familiar today than some other Victorian inventors, his work forms part of the long story behind image transmission and fax technology. He died in 1869, leaving behind a career that linked practical invention with popular science writing.