19th Century US train conductors used punchcards to record descriptions of passengers on the fly, to prevent ticket fraud.
These “punched photographs” led to the development of the Hollerith punchcard reader, which led to the modern computer.
From an 1887 description:
“Along the margin of the ticket is printed, in a straight column, the following words in small black type: Male – Female; Slim – Medium – Stout; Young– Middle-aged – Elderly; Eye: Light – Dark; Hair. Light – Dark; Beard – Moustache – Chin – Side – None.
“The passenger is photographed on the ticket bearing his signature by punching out all the words that are not descriptive of him. If for a male, the word "female" is cut out by the punch; if he is slim, the words "medium" and "stout" are punched; if his eyes are light, the word "dark: is stricken out; and if he wears no beard, the word "none" is left standing, while "moustache, "chin" and "side" are punched.
“Now, it is readily seen how a train agent passing hurriedly through a crowded car is likely to make errors in describing his passengers on their tickets, and so far being a ‘photograph’ of the holder, the marginal sketch often becomes a rank caricature. Even where the punch-marks faithfully portray the features and figure, the female passenger cannot always preserve her good temper on looking at the picture drawn for her. A well developed lady of an uncertain age is not likely to consider it a compliment to be labeled in cold type as ‘stout’ and ‘elderly.’”
Mark Twain wrote a humorous essay on the subject of 19th Century railroad ticket-punching: “Punch, Brothers, Punch”
Mark Twain |Samuel Clemens' short story: Punch, Brothers, Punch - Read complete text online
