The Instrument 1900-1960

Telephone technology at the turn of the century was not all that different than the telephones of twenty years earlier. The same basic transmitter and receiver technology was still in use and the magneto signaling devices were identical.

The major changes occurred in the design, becoming more streamlined and functional. Automatic telephones were becoming more prevalent, too. The one piece handset was introduced in Europe in the 1890s but saw very limited use in the U.S. until the 1920s.

The elegant curves and nickel plating gave way to straight lines and black paint in the early 1900s. The upright or "candlestick" telephone was popular in the urban areas and the wood wall phones were popular in the rural areas.

There was a plethora of shapes and designs even as late as 1920, but economics dictated fewer manufacturers making fewer phones. By the 1920s the single handset design was being introduced to the public with great acceptance. Of course, the desk phones were still attached to a big box that housed the ringer, and in some cases the magneto.

Major advancements occurred in the 1930s. Designers introduced desk phones that--for the first time--incorporated the ringer, network and handset in one single unit. The most popular were the Western Electric "300" series telephone and the Automatic Electric "Monophone." Wall versions were also introduced.

By the 1950s, phone companies began looking at "colorized" telephones. Hoping to recycle the old cradle phones from the 1920s and 1930s, manufacturers refinished the old phones in a variety of colors and re-marketed them as the latest in design of the early 1950s. 

Soon after, a more modern, streamlined version of the desk phone was introduced. It was sleek, functional and was produced in several colors.

Around 1960, telephones went design and functionality crazy.     

Telephone Instrument 1877-1900            Telephone Instrument 1960-Present

Copyright 1998-2008