The Telephone Historical Centre boasts one of the nation’s premier collections. Visitors can witness early wall phones, operator switchboards and an impressive assortment of novelty telephones on display here.
This section explores two musical themes within telephonic history – public performances of telephones as instruments, and their use as musical performance tools in the 2000s – using Balbi’s philosophy that old and new media must not be studied separately.
The Invention of the Telephone
Telephone technology has become so ubiquitous in our lives today that it is easy to forget that it was once cutting edge technology. Alexander Graham Bell developed it out of a passion to improve communication among deaf people as part of his lifelong quest to help improve society at large.
Bell learned through experimenting with electrified wires that the vibrations produced by speech could be transmitted over distance, providing him with the key for creating long-distance transmission systems based on converting acoustic variations into electric current variations and back into acoustic variations at both ends of his circuits.
Bell worked tirelessly on this project, investing his resources. On 7 March 1876 he received a patent for his invention and although most credit is given to Bell for creating it alone, Italian Antonio Meucci and German inventor Johann Philipp Reis had also contributed their knowledge in creating it prior to him.
The Early Years
The invention of the telephone was an incredible step forward for communications. Alexander Graham Bell’s device enabled individuals to carry conversations over long distances and exchange information more easily; business and industry could use it more efficiently, and even military use was made possible thanks to Bell.
In 1878, Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated his phone for Queen Victoria. According to reports, she thought it was truly amazing.
Soon afterwards, long-distance telephone lines were built, and subscribers began being identified by numbers rather than names. A common battery system was then introduced, which permitted one central battery to power all telephones within an exchange rather than each having its own separate battery.
Around this time, the first coin-operated telephone was introduced. Resembling a candlestick in design, its transmitter and receiver were combined into one unit to reduce instances of users leaving their phones “off the hook.” It marked the first home telephone that could be used independently from telephone companies.
The Evolution of the Telephone
In the 1800s, the telephone revolutionized our means of communication. While initially resistant to growth and adoption, today it has become an integral component of daily life.
Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray independently developed devices capable of transmitting speech electronically in 1876. Both men rushed to file their invention at the patent office – with Bell making it to file his invention several hours before Gray. A legal battle ensued between them until, ultimately, Bell won out and thus gave birth to what we now refer to as the telephone.
By 1877, the first regular telephone line had been completed, followed shortly afterwards by a workable exchange system allowing calls between subscribers rather than between friends alone. Touch-tone phones and lighted dials also first came about around this time; Henry Dreyfuss designed his groundbreaking Model 302 phone which featured slimmer bases with touchpad buttons marked “*” and “#.” This marked a dramatic departure from earlier designs which were bulky, unwieldy and difficult to operate.
The Future of the Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell received his patent for a telephone in 1876, never could have predicted how it would revolutionize our lives today. It has become an integral component of modern communications networks; translating complex soundwaves into electrical signals for transmission while translating back into audible and understandable speech signals for reception and conversion back to audible transmission.
Telephones have evolved throughout history, improving in terms of reliability, ergonomics and functionality – yet their basic design remains unchanged – providing instantaneous connections with people worldwide.
American cities boast numerous telephone museums that display extensive exhibits at county historical museums or house them in dedicated structures filled with old phones saved from being scrapped – everything from expansive county historical museums to dedicated structures filled with phones saved from being recycled as trash. Some are owned and maintained by passionate private collectors, retired phone company employees or civic groups while others are run by organizations such as Telecommunications History Group which has existed since 1990 and provides curatorial support.
