Accession No
3920
Brief Description
telephone, Ericsson design, by L. M. Ericsson and Company, Swedish, 1914
Origin
Sweden; Stockholm
Maker
L. M. Ericsson and Company
Class
sound
Earliest Date
1914
Latest Date
1914
Inscription Date
Material
metal (iron, white metal, copper, brass); rope (cord); plastic (bakelite and at least one other); wood
Dimensions
breadth 260mm; depth 140mm; height 294mm
Special Collection
Provenance
Purchased, 1993.
Inscription
‘L.M. ERICSSON & CO’ (one foot)
‘STOCKHOLM’ (other foot)
‘AMM. TELEFON A.-B. L.M. ERICSSON
STOCKHOLM. SWEDEN’ (mouthpiece mount)
‘1271154’ (front of brass platform)
Description Notes
Ericsson design telephone with black-painted metal stand on 4 wooden feet, decorated with gold paint. The stand supports rectangular plastic plate to which is connected a metal box with gear system driven by white metal crank with plastic handle. Twin bells suspended below box, with clappers. Set on top of the plastic plate is a wood and white metal column carrying metal cradle for receiver (white metal and plastic). Receiver connected to 5 terminals on central plate by means of a cord-covered copper wire. A second cord-covered wire is attached to one end of the plate.
Condition good; complete.
References
Events
Description
Telephones send the sound of your voice over long distances. The word "telephone" comes from Greek: "tele" ("far") and "phone" ("sound" or "voice").
This is the Ericsson “Skeleton Type” telephone. In design terms, it’s the forerunner of all modern landline phones where the handset rests horizontally on the body.
Telephones turn sound waves into electric signals. Your voice generates vibrations in the microphone which move a magnet. This in turn creates fluctuations in the electric current running through the cable. The speaker at the other end turns this back into sound.
Can you see the crank? When this is turned, the magnets in the body of the phone create the signal that makes the phone at the other end of the line ring.
22/07/2024
Created by: Hannah Price on 22/07/2024
FM:40173
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