Details
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Details of object number: 0075
Title:Crank telephone
Object name:telephone
Production date:1900 — 1910
Description:Central battery set. Black lacquered cuboid with brass trim on a stepped base with moulding; crank handle on side, cradle at top for receiver with earpiece and mouthpiece, second receiver without mouthpiece, receiver for monitoring, five-pin power connection (wood, lacquered black), braided fabric cable. Underside: product number “9458”.
Hist. crit. notes:The telephone was one of the technical innovations at the beginning of the 20th century that would change people’s lives forever. Although the telephone had been patented by Graham Bell in 1876, it was decades before this new communication device was considered suitable for everyday use. And, until the digitisation of signal transmission in the 1990s, the acoustic quality of long-distance calls in particular was subject to an unwelcome, unmistakable hiss.
In the early days, the telephone (like the telegraph) was primarily used for one-way communication, especially in the military, as well as in a few wealthy private households as a substitute for the bell used to summon domestic servants. It was only gradually that the telephone would become established as a medium for multi-directional communication between two or more people and develop into a medium of entertainment. The notions of “phoning around” or “making numerous calls” did not appear until the early 20th century, while until the First World War, the telegraph was still considered a more reliable and secure method than the telephone.
The first telephone network in Tyrol had a grand total of 20 subscribers, with the Bozen/Bolzano-Meran/o telephone line opening on 1 September 1899. The first overland line from Innsbruck to Trento was opened in 1905 while, in the villages between Bozen and Salurn/Salorno, telephone calls became possible from 12 January 1911. As a rule, the few telephones used were of an official nature, as in the case of the specimen in the Museum of Everyday Culture in Neumarkt/Egna.
The actual process of making a telephone call was anything but simple. First a crank had to be turned, which triggered an electromagnetic pulse in the line, which in turn caused a sign-like toggle switch marked with the caller’s number to switch over in the nearest telephone exchange. The switchboard operator would then contact the caller to accept the connection request, before manually establishing the desired connection by means of contact plugs on the switchboard. At the end of the call, the switch was manually returned to its position.
In the early days, the telephone (like the telegraph) was primarily used for one-way communication, especially in the military, as well as in a few wealthy private households as a substitute for the bell used to summon domestic servants. It was only gradually that the telephone would become established as a medium for multi-directional communication between two or more people and develop into a medium of entertainment. The notions of “phoning around” or “making numerous calls” did not appear until the early 20th century, while until the First World War, the telegraph was still considered a more reliable and secure method than the telephone.
The first telephone network in Tyrol had a grand total of 20 subscribers, with the Bozen/Bolzano-Meran/o telephone line opening on 1 September 1899. The first overland line from Innsbruck to Trento was opened in 1905 while, in the villages between Bozen and Salurn/Salorno, telephone calls became possible from 12 January 1911. As a rule, the few telephones used were of an official nature, as in the case of the specimen in the Museum of Everyday Culture in Neumarkt/Egna.
The actual process of making a telephone call was anything but simple. First a crank had to be turned, which triggered an electromagnetic pulse in the line, which in turn caused a sign-like toggle switch marked with the caller’s number to switch over in the nearest telephone exchange. The switchboard operator would then contact the caller to accept the connection request, before manually establishing the desired connection by means of contact plugs on the switchboard. At the end of the call, the switch was manually returned to its position.
Technique:lackiert
Dimensions:
- Gesamt height: 34 cm
Kasten length: 20 cm
width: 13 cm
height: 20 cm
Physical description:Stahl. lackiert, Holz, lackiert
Institution:Museum of Popular Culture
Inscription:Type: Produktnummer
Position: Unterseite
Content: 9458
Position: Unterseite
Content: 9458