Source: Linda Hall Library — Philo Farnsworth Scientist of the Day
source confidence: High status: Useful updated 2026-06-19
Summary
The Linda Hall Library's Scientist of the Day profile on Philo Farnsworth, covering his San Francisco laboratory, the image dissector camera tube, the receiver display tube, and the September 7, 1927 all-electronic television demonstration. The Linda Hall Library is one of the largest independent science research libraries in the United States.
Useful Claims
- Farnsworth conducted his landmark electronic television work in a San Francisco laboratory, not in Utah.
- The image dissector (camera tube) and a paired receiver display tube were the two core vacuum-tube components of his television system.
- The system was fully electronic — no spinning disks or mechanical scanning elements.
- The September 7, 1927 demonstration successfully transmitted an electronic image.
Verbatim
"After a brief stint in Los Angeles, Farnsworth set up a laboratory on the second floor of 202 Green Street in San Francisco." — Article body
"He assembled a team of engineers and technicians, including his brother-in-law Cliff Gardner, who studied glassblowing to assist with the manufacture of the two crucial components of his television system: the image dissector (camera tube) and the oscillite (picture tube) ( third image )." — Article body
"On Sep. 7, 1927, Farnsworth’s team successfully transmitted the image of a black line on a slide." — Article body
Reliability Notes
The Linda Hall Library is a well-regarded independent science research library whose Scientist of the Day series is produced for scholarly public education. It is a high-quality secondary source drawing on established historical scholarship. It is not a primary source but is appropriate for corroborating technical and biographical claims about Farnsworth.