Classic Rotary Phones: Repair, Refurbish, Restore Vintage Telephones

Thomas Watson, assistant to Alexander Graham Bell, is shown here with a reproduction of the first telephone. The photograph was taken in 1926, the 50th anniversary of the telephone, the patent for which having been filed on March 7, 1876. It was three days later, on March 10th, that Watson became the first person to hear a voice transmitted by telephone. Having spilled acid on his hand, Bell is purported to have cried out “Watson, come here! I want to see you!,” a quotation that has been repeated in several versions, each with a variation on the “I want to see you” part. Unfortunately, Watson had to celebrate the telephone’s first half-century without the man who uttered those famous words, Mr. Bell having died on August 2, 1922.
This photo is sure to have been widely published, having been distributed by the wire services to publishers across the country. By examining the back of the photo we can see that this is a wire service copy, and includes the sort of data typically found on such photos. Dated 3-7-1926, it includes the following description of the photo:

THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TELEPHONE

New York…..Fifty years ago today, March 7th, a patent was granted to Alexander Graham Bell, one of the greatest advances in the scientific world in the 19th century…Above left is shown Alexander Graham Bell as he appeared in 1876, at the time the patents were granted him. At the right is shown Thomas A. Watson, who heard the first words spoken over the telephone by Dr. Bell. Mr. Watson still resides in Boston. Bell’s first words over the phone were “come here Watson, I want you”..

Sales stick better than orders. Those immortal words appear in the April 1931 issue of Southwestern Telephone News, and are a prelude to a fairly comprehensive treatise on new customers and the retention thereof. I’ve got to say that this article brings back certain unpleasant memories for me, recollections of all the over-analyzed sales training that I was subjected to during nearly 25 years in the newspaper business. Southwestern Bell employees were undoubtedly hammered with this sort of thing, but I have to admit that there’s some good information here, along with a measure of motivational propaganda, of course. For you, the vintage telephone collector/historian, the article might prove illuminating as it reveals, indirectly, the secret to Bell’s success… they provided a valuable service to the customer.

Two pages of the article are presented here in the form of jpg images. The article was continued, but that page is missing from my copy of the magazine.
Page 1
Page 2

I know that some of you, those truly fascinated by obscure history, have been tied up in knots over my previous post regarding the hypnotist, “LEE”. Who was this guy who, over 100 years ago, was hypnotizing people across telephone lines? Now the story can be told. (or at least another piece of it)
While this may not have been his real name, the full name used by our hypnotist was Sylvain A. Lee. I made this discovery upon locating a second poster, the fabulous art-nouveau lithograph shown at left. I also found that, besides his performing on stage, Lee was the author of at least one book, The Practice of Hypnotic Suggestion, in 1901.
Newspapers from the era have also been helpful, with more than one having made reference to Lee. (notice that I’ve dispensed with the all-caps now that Mr. Sylvain and I are better acquainted) A brief notice of a 3-night engagement in the April 30, 1896 edition of The Oswego Daily Palladium called Lee, “The greatest hypnotist of modern times.” Four years later, from the August 20th, 1900 edition of The San Francisco Call comes this description of an opening night: Read the rest of this entry »

This 1908 photograph shows the hub of the N.Y.C. Police Department, the “Information Bureau.” Even the early years of the telephone, the invention quickly proved itself to be an indispensable tool in law enforcement.

A lot of things can change in forty years or so, as these two photos illustrate. The first one, probably taken around 1965, shows my dad playing with our dachshund in the family room, or “den,” as we called it. (still do) The second picture was taken a few weeks ago, and is a close-up of the built-in desk shown in the first photo. As seen in the first pic (sorry for the poor focus), our primary phone was a trusty Western Electric 554, a phone that never, never should have been taken out of service. But then again, not much about the room is as it was then, with the linoleum replaced by carpet, the wood paneling painted white, etc.
I decided that it only made sense to put a 554 back over the desk, but not another white one, as it wouldn’t show up against the paneling. I thought about a number of colors, but ended up choosing black… a black model 354. The Western Electric model 554 had already replaced the 354 by 1960 when the house was built, so one might say that a 554 would have been the logical choice. But when my friend Dennis Markham told me that he was restoring a black 354, and that he might be interested in a trade for one of my North Electric Galions, I couldn’t resist. The W.E. model 302 was the phone that first attracted me to the hobby, so its wall-phone cousin, the 354, had a natural appeal. The trade was made, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. The 1952 vintage model 354 seems pretty content too, even in a newfangled 1960 home.

Until I happened upon this 1898 lithograph, I had never pondered the feasibility of telephone-induced trances. But they couldn’t say it if it weren’t true, right? I’ve searched high and low, but have been unable to find even the slightest tidbit of data regarding LEE, our intrepid hypnotist. Was his act not sufficiently dazzling, or was it his rather forgettable name that resulted in him being lost to history? Had I been his manager, I would have certainly taken him aside for a talk regarding the dubious merits of a single-word stage name, particularly one so ordinary. After-all, he was clearly no Madonna. But in his defense, he didn’t go by Lee, but instead was known as, LEE.
Active in an era rife with hypnotists, mediums and fortune-tellers, LEE was in a competitive field, one that made a gimmick, something to set him apart from the crowd, an absolute necessity. “Telephone” was a popular buzz-word at the turn of the century, representing as it did the spirit of progress and invention that was in the air. So our clever and, I’m sure, talented, hypnotist took the the idea of hypno-telephony and developed an act so original, so cutting-edge that… no one remembers him! This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise however, as few such acts are remembered today. And besides, how do you sell tickets to an act whose participants are 50 miles apart?! Read the rest of this entry »

From 1916 to 1983 the AT&T corporate headquarters was located at 195 Broadway, shown here in the year 1917. Famed architect William Welles Bosworth was commissioned to design the building in 1913, a structure said to feature “more Classical columns than any facade in the world.” The late-neoclassical building was host to numerous records and firsts, including the distinction of using more marble than any other building in New York. The Vermont marble was cut and polished in New Jersey, floated by barge to Manhattan, then moved to the construction site via eight-horse teams. If the exterior was impressive, the interior lobby was breathtaking, regarded as the most spectacular commercial space in the city. Read the rest of this entry »

The name California Electrical Works might be best known by collectors of telegraph and telephone insulators, as their “C.E.W.” marking appears on some of the more valuable examples. Formed in 1877 through a consolidation of E. C. & M. Co., California Gas Lighting, and the Pacific Electro Depositing Works, the California Electrical Works is said to have been purchased by Western Electric in 1908. But these photos reveal that two years earlier the Western Electric name was displayed clearly on the San Francisco facility. Why the name was already associated with the company isn’t known, at least not known to me. But what is known is that on April 18th of 1906, at approximately 5:12a.m., the area was struck by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake.
By 9:00 President Roosevelt had declared the city to be under Martial Law. Mayor Eugene Schmitz appointed the “Committee of Fifty” at 3 p.m. at the Hall of Justice, and gives the shoot-to-kill order: “Let it…be understood that the order has been given to all soldiers and policemen to shoot down without hesitation in the cases of any and all miscreants who may seek to take advantage of the city’s awful misfortune.” Besides their job of maintaining order, army troops were also used to dynamite buildings in an effort to slow the fire’s momentum.
These photos show the California Electrical Works building shortly after the quake and subsequent fires, looking surprisingly fresh all things considered. It cannot be overstated that, as severe as the quake was, it was the fire that destroyed the city. Caused by gas main brakes, campfires of the dispossessed and poorly controlled use of dynamite used to make firebrakes, it is estimated that the fire caused 90% of the damage. In an era of cataclysmic fires sweeping metropolitan areas (the Chicago fire of 1871 and the 1904 Baltimore fire come to mind), the blaze that the San Francisco earthquake sparked was the largest and most severe. Photographs taken during and after the four-day inferno, several of which are available at the end of this post, reveal a scene of far-reaching devastation that is reminiscent of Hiroshima. Approximately 3000 deaths and almost a quarter-million injuries resulted, with over $400,000,000.00 in total damages. The four-story California Electrical Works building was well within the boundaries of the area generally described as “totally consumed.” So how is it that their employees were back at work within days? Read the rest of this entry »

I believe I’d be covering my ears, just in case that baby should ring! This is a promotional photo for the 1958 film, Attack of the Puppet People, starring John Agar. I wonder if that huge model 500 is still around somewhere? It’s not in my collection, I would have noticed!

This cautionary poster, distributed between 1941 and 1943, was done by the artist Edward T. Grigware. (1889-1960) Grigware, a renowned painter of western subjects, did a number of war-related posters for the WPA. (Works Projects Administration) He was also a “War Record” painter for the U. S. Navy, working from the carrier Enterprise in the midst of the Pacific campaigns. The above poster can be seen in big and huge versions and, if you like, you can see other examples of Grigware’s work, the war poster, Death-trap for the Jap, and an oil painting, Ice Floes, Kodiak.

This artistically composed scene was photographed in 1936 by Russell Lee (1903-1986) for the Farm Security Administration. The description that accompanies the photo in the Library of Congress reads: “Garments hanging near telephone in Rustan brothers’ farm near Dickens, Iowa.”  You can also see the big version or the huge version. A biography of Lee can be found here.

This moving image must have stirred the emotions of many Americans during the first world war. Showing concern and determination, Liberty’s gaze captures ones attention in a way that is highly effective, reaching the viewer on a powerfully emotional level. The poster was rendered by Z.P. Nikolaki, a prolific illustrator in the ‘teens, but who’s biographical data I’ve been unable to find. For a better look, check out the big or huge versions.

From 1902 comes this photograph of Mrs. George Creel, professionally known as Blanche Bates. (1873-1941) Her renown is based primarily on her prowess as a stage actress, although she also made three appearances on the silent screen. In this obviously posed image, Blanche posses with a wall phone, just 25 years after the invention of the device. You can see a bigger version of the photo here.

A more professional website would save this post for next April, but… you know. As I’ve said before, Southwestern Telephone News had some great covers! The period from the late ’20s through the early ’30s featured some fabulous art-deco illustrations, including this issue from April, 1931.
Unfortunately, the subject of many of the covers is not related to telephony in any way. In fact, the magazine as a whole featured less telephone-related content than most of the other regional Bell employee mags. Several of these covers appear to be from the same hand, and I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who can identify the artist. Here’s the large version and huge version.