Telephone

Object Name:

Telephone

Object ID:

2007.060.05

Creator:

Western Electric Co.Manufacturer

Date:

1950-1960

Description:

Telephone, desk style, 1950s, from a home in Pittsfield, NH. Metal base unit with black finish; oval shape; concave shoulders rising to narrow round neck. On top of neck is a cradle with four upright arms. Black metal spring-loaded plunger in center of cradle. Black rotary dial with ten finger holes and round printed paper label in center: "PITTSFIELD / GENERAL / 5-6923" ("GE" is in larger letters), under clear plastic. Behind rotary wheel is a white enameled circle with black letters and red numerals visible through the holes. Metal finger stop on right side of dial. Black plastic handset with mouthpiece (transmitter) and earpiece (receiver). Raised cast lettering in center of handset, on bottom surface: "TRADE MARK / Western Electric / REG U S PAT OFF / E1 / MADE IN U S A". Handset is attached to base unit with a black wire. Another black wire exits the base through the same hole; at end, it has four exposed leads with colored plastic insulation: red, yellow, green, and black, each with a metal contact on end. Four round cork pads on underside of base; a fifth pad is not present.

Material:

Metal
Plastic

Dimensions:

H-5.3 W-8.7 D-5 inches

Provenance:

Telephone was acquired by donor from a home in Pittsfield, NH, when he replaced it with a new rotary dial phone. Donor was a telephone technician for New England Telephone Co. in Concord, 1969-1983, and then for AT&T in Concord until 1986. He worked in Laconia, NH, 1986-2003, first for NYNEX, then Bell Atlantic, then Verizon.

Credit Line:

Gift of James L. Dimick

Subjects:

Telephones