Can You Hear Me Now? Vintage Landlines
From the first phone call in March of 1876 when Alexander Graham Bell famously said, “Mr. Watson, come here! I want to see you!” the telephone has connected the world and made it possible for anyone to be heard just about anywhere. While technology has continuously evolved, in the home, phones were about form as well as function. It wasn’t until the 1920’s that new homes were being built to include wiring for telephones. The technology market exploded initially but then slowed due to the Great Depression and World War II.
In the post-war boom years, phones were marketed as a home décor item as much as a communication tool. While they may have started as a bare-bones device, they would eventually become a home fashion statement.
Royalty and Rotary
One of the first phones to be marketed more for its looks than what it could do was the Princess Telephone manufactured by Western Electric and sold by the Bell Telephone Company. It debuted in 1959, and the ads were targeted toward women.
In those days, homeowners had to rent each phone in their home, and the Princess phone was perfect for a bedside extension. The original model did not include a ringer because the mechanism was too large to fit in the compact size of the unit. By 1963, a ringer was added, and the phone was weighted since users complained it would slide around when dialing because it was so light. While the pastel colors were a draw for housewives who wanted phones that would match their décor, in 1963, the company added black to the available colors. A rumor, probably started by Bell Telephone, was that Jacqueline Kennedy had requested it be produced in black, but that’s never been verified. Earlier models of push-button phones introduced in 1964 only had 10 buttons, and these remain collectible. The star and “pound” buttons were added in later models.
Phones of the Future?
Since the technology involved in making a call to someone who was thousands of miles away was considered cutting edge, and the Space Race was on, phones marketed in the late 1950s and early 1960s had a futuristic vibe to them. The first phone that included the handset and the dial as one solid piece was the Ericofone, produced by Ericsson in Sweden.
Eventually, the stranglehold that Bell Telephone had on the American market ended when AT&T lost their monopoly. For the first time, users could purchase any phone they wanted from any manufacturer they chose. Phones continued to evolve almost as “fashion statements” for the home. Of course, Disney got into the game, producing a large figural phone, with Mickey holding the handset. Peanuts fans could also choose a phone with their pal Snoopy on it, and one model even included a lamp.
Cutting the Cord
Once phones were firmly established in most homes, the focus turned to make them smaller, lighter, and more portable. While teenagers in many homes were used to stretching a cord out as long as possible to duck into a corner for a little privacy, the technology did eventually arrive where phones could be digitally anchored to a wired base. This allowed users to walk around their home, or even outside, while still speaking on the phone. The original models were clunky, with long antennas that could put out an eye if you weren’t careful. Security was a problem with these phones since they were much like walkie-talkies, and conversations could be picked up via other phones in the area or lost in static.
Digital Days
Technology is always evolving, and in the early 1990s, home phones were going digital. Answering machines that were formerly a separate unit with cassette tapes were being integrated into the phone itself. Another development was the introduction of Call Waiting and Caller ID. Since AT&T was no longer in the phone rental business, services like this could be added on as a revenue source. Still, the landline was starting to be replaced as cell phones came into common use. In 2004, nearly 90% of homes in the United States had a landline. Today, it’s less than 40%. Still, die-hard collectors want a vintage look sometimes. I recently found a red reproduction wall phone that precisely matched my chair and “writing nook” in my living room, and while we no longer have a landline, it’s hanging on the wall, next to my laptop, making a statement.
The home landline might be on its way out as something we use, but phones from every era, including payphones and phone booths, are still prized by designers and collectors.
Brenda Kelley Kim lives in the Boston area. She is the author of Sink or Swim: Tales From the Deep End of Everywhere and writes a weekly syndicated column for Gannett News/Wicked Local. When not writing or walking her snorty pug Penny, she enjoys yard sales, flea markets, and badminton.
WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth®