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- Princess Telephone, Model 701B, 1959-1963 - The Princess telephone was designed by Henry Dreyfuss in 1959. It's a great example of the transition of the telephone from a strictly utilitarian device to a fashionable home accessory for middle class America. Compact and featuring a backlit dial, it was originally marketed to women as a bedroom phone; the slogan was, "It's little...It's lovely...It lights." It stayed in production from 1959-1994.
- 1959-1963
- Collections - Artifact
Princess Telephone, Model 701B, 1959-1963
The Princess telephone was designed by Henry Dreyfuss in 1959. It's a great example of the transition of the telephone from a strictly utilitarian device to a fashionable home accessory for middle class America. Compact and featuring a backlit dial, it was originally marketed to women as a bedroom phone; the slogan was, "It's little...It's lovely...It lights." It stayed in production from 1959-1994.
- American Bell Telephone Handset, circa 1895 -
- circa 1895
- Collections - Artifact
American Bell Telephone Handset, circa 1895
- Telephone, 1880-1883 -
- 1880-1883
- Collections - Artifact
Telephone, 1880-1883
- Western Electric Telephone Desk Used in Express Office, Lake Linden, Michigan, circa 1895 - This telephone desk is the opposite of the mobile, miniature smartphones we take for granted in the 21st century. Its "magneto" required hand-cranking to ring a bell and signal the exchange operator. Every component was separate. Built of hardwood with decorative carving, it served as an attractive piece of furniture--an inviting space to pull up a chair for seated conversation.
- circa 1895
- Collections - Artifact
Western Electric Telephone Desk Used in Express Office, Lake Linden, Michigan, circa 1895
This telephone desk is the opposite of the mobile, miniature smartphones we take for granted in the 21st century. Its "magneto" required hand-cranking to ring a bell and signal the exchange operator. Every component was separate. Built of hardwood with decorative carving, it served as an attractive piece of furniture--an inviting space to pull up a chair for seated conversation.
- Desk Stand Telephone with Watchcase Receiver, 1893 -
- 1893
- Collections - Artifact
Desk Stand Telephone with Watchcase Receiver, 1893
- Western Electric Wall Telephone, circa 1900 -
- circa 1900
- Collections - Artifact
Western Electric Wall Telephone, circa 1900
- Induction Coil, circa 1899 -
- circa 1899
- Collections - Artifact
Induction Coil, circa 1899
- Desk Stand Telephone with Blake Transmitter, 1891 -
- 1891
- Collections - Artifact
Desk Stand Telephone with Blake Transmitter, 1891
- The Telephone and How We Use It, 1952 -
- 1952
- Collections - Artifact
The Telephone and How We Use It, 1952
- Telephone, circa 1895 - In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell shouted these first words into his invention: "Mr. Watson--Come here! I want to see you!" While the "true invention" origins of the telephone are complicated, Bell received the first patent for improvements in telegraphy, allowing bi-directional transmission of voice. "The future of wires" united the nation as telephones were commercialized throughout the 20th century.
- circa 1895
- Collections - Artifact
Telephone, circa 1895
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell shouted these first words into his invention: "Mr. Watson--Come here! I want to see you!" While the "true invention" origins of the telephone are complicated, Bell received the first patent for improvements in telegraphy, allowing bi-directional transmission of voice. "The future of wires" united the nation as telephones were commercialized throughout the 20th century.