Atlantic Cable Centennial

This Atlantic Cable Centennial stamp commemorated the centennial of the establishment of the Atlantic Cable, the first transatlantic telegraph cable which linked the Eastern and Western hemispheres. The project was headed by Cyrus West Field and the Atlantic Telegraph Company. The first transmission through the cable was between Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and President James Buchanan of the United States. Though the cable only functioned for three weeks, its initial success helped the future construction of other telegraphic communication ventures. The stamp depicts a globe, as well as the heads of the god Neptune and a trident and a mermaid.