George R. Carey

George R. Carey was an American inventor born in 1851. He was among the first to propose the telectroscope using the photo-electric properties of selenium as a means for transmitting images - a precursor to modern television.

George R. Carey was a professional surveyor employed by the City of Boston.

In 1873, Willoughby Smith had discovered that the amount of electric current that selenium conducted depended on the amount of light that struck it. (This property of certain conducting materials is called photoconductivity.)

George R. Carey learned of this discovery and used it to devise a crude system for transmitting images - an early attempt at television.

In the May 17, 1878 issue of Scientific American, the editors alluded to their earlier article about the 'telectroscope invented by M. Senlecq of Ardres.' This was followed by the news that they had before them 'some very ingenious and curious applications of selenium, in which its peculiar property of changing its electrical conductivity when exposed to light varying in intensity is utilized. The several devices are the invention of Mr. George R. Carey, of Boston, Mass.' A more detailed article was published in the June 5, 1880 Scientific American.