Phone Collection

Police Public Call Box in the snow, London
A Police Public Call Box, on a London street on a snowy day. The Metropolitan Police introduced police boxes throughout the London area between 1928 and 1937

Bakelite telephone. Dial telephone with bakelite casing. Bakelite, the first plastic to be used for widespread commercial purposes

Cobham Air Routes Poster
Poster, Cobham Air Routes, offering flights to Guernsey in 2 hours. With a map of the south coast. 20th century

Pin-up calendar girl by David Wright, 1950
A woman with her red hair swept up in a bun, poses elegantly in some diaphanous lingerie as she speaks on a red telephone. Date: 1950

The Beastie Boys leaving Capital Radio in a car, Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock), Michael Diamond (Mike D) and Adam Yauch (MCA). London, 28th May 1987

Red Telephone Box in London, England

Major fire in Wandsworth Road, Clapham SW8
London firefighters and the London Salvage Corps (in the long coats) at the scene of a fire involving shops and dwellings in Wandsworth Road, Clapham, SW8, on 9 September 1959

The Shard skyscraper aka the London Bridge Tower, London, England is currently the tallest building in the EU

Margaret Lockwood in Carol Reeds Night Train to Munich (1940)
Margaret Lockwood

Telephone Box
A rare example of a K4 telephone kiosk, designed 1927 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Frodsham, Cheshire. IoE 436820

Picture No. 11772293
Dog Parson Jack Russell with mobile phone in mouth Date:

Pleasure Flights Poster, Portsmouth, Southsea & Isle of Wight Aviation Ltd, Bembridge Farm Aerodrome at any time by arrangement at the farm

Policeman at a police call box
A policeman on the phone at a police public call box on a London street

Red letterbox and telephone box in the snow, Highlands, Scotland, UK, Europe

Paddington Telephone Exchange, London, 1906
An image of a female operator connecting callers to the railway system at Paddingtons Telephone Exchange, London, 1906

Brochure illustration, W Barratt & Co Ltd, Northampton, showing the Footshape Works where the boots and shoes are made, with addresses of branches below, in London, Bradford, Brighton and Leicester

Tatler front cover, 9 March 1960
Front cover of the Tatler featuring a photograph of a woman, eating breakfast while arranging to meet friends over the telephone. 1960

Advert for using a telephone
It pays to telephone ! Remember - a telephone in your home saves you time, money, and worry, and minimises inconvenience, anxiety, and loneliness

Early fire brigade street alarm
Early fire brigade alarm system. Historical artwork of a fireman testing a 19th-century combined telephonic and telegraphic street fire alarm system

Policeman and Call Box
A police officer on the beat south of Pall Mall, central London, reports back to the station using a police call box

Ericsson Table Phone - 3
A table instrument by the Ericsson Company of Stockholm. There is no handle to alert the exchange, perhaps this is done with that knob : the bell is very noticeable

A phone box in Hartsop in the Lake district UK
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

Automatic Phone Exchange
Automatic telephone exchange of the British Post Office, which at that time managed the telephone network

Sky lanterns at the Yee Peng Sansai, Loy Krathong, Floating Lantern Ceremony, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Yee Peng Sansai Floating Lantern Ceremony, part of the Loy Kratong celebrations in homage to Lord Buddha at Maejo, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Advert promoting the Post Office Telephone Service. Date: 1932

The New Magic: Sending Pictures by Wireless and the Unescapable Telephone, c1935. From Our Wonderful World, Volume II, edited by J.A. Hammerton. [The Amalgamated Press, Ltd. London]

Major fire in Wandsworth Road, Clapham SW8
London firefighters and the London Salvage Corps (in the long coats) at the scene of a fire involving shops and dwellings in Wandsworth Road, Clapham, SW8, on 9 September 1959. Date: 1959

Peter Sellers and Ian Carmichael
as Fred Kite and Stanley Windrush in I m All Right Jack (1959)

Pin Up on telephone by David Wright
An alluring blonde woman in a black evening dress and white fur stole talks on a red telephone while looking seductively at the viewer

K1 Telephone Kiosk
Rare survival of an early telephone box. Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent. IoE 168191

Telephone Kiosk
K6 Telephone box with blurred image of woman in doorway. Ombersley, Worcestershire. IoE 432310

Telephone Kiosk
Type K6 telephone box, situated on The Hoe, Plymouth, Devon. IoE 473853

a Box
a Telephone Box on A556, Cheshire. IoE 58578

RAF Harrier Jump Jets, No. 1 Squadron, set up in 1969. The jump jet is a vertical/short takeoff and landing aircraft. Seen here are staff at work in a control tower

Konstantin Buteyko, Soviet doctor
Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko (1923-2003), Soviet medical doctor and researcher. In the 1950s, Buteyko, a Ukrainian, developed a theory on the effects of deep breathing (hyperventilation)

Pay phone and shop windows on Fifth Avenue at night, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States of America, North America

Twins Laura and Lesley Cunningham join Govans fight against crime as they show Bob Gillespie a new door secutiry system. 31st October 1988

Poster, Anglo-Swiss Telephone Service, showing a woman skating in the Alps. 20th century

Example of a woman dialling 999 for the emergency services in a red telephone booth

A long line of telephone switchboards with female operators

1934 G. P. O telephone advertisement
Advertisement for some rather eye-catching handmicrophone instrument in fine colours such as Chinese red, jade green and ivory white. The dial is chromium plated and the flex is silk-covered in grey

Early telephone, historical artwork
Early telephone. Historical artwork of three men gathered around an early telephone. The man at right is talking into the speaking tube

Blonde in Bath 1960S
A blonde model sits in a trendy, but miniscule bubble bath, covering her embarrassment with a sponge whilst taking a phone call

Phone Exchange / 1903
The switchboard of the National Telephone Company, United Kingdom

New Site For Clay-Liston Fight
Boston, Massachusetts: May 7, 1965. Reporters and camermen wait outside a phone booth while promoter Harold Conrad seeks a new site for the Cassius Clay-Sonny Liston heavyweight title fight

Woman on the telephone, postcard
" Hello, are you there?" An early example of cold calling by telemarketers

Metropolitan Police operations room, London
View of a Metropolitan Police operations room at New Scotland Yard, London, with officers and telephonists busy taking calls

Woman On the Phone Date: 1916

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Connecting the Past and Present: A Journey Through Phone History" Amidst a snowy London street, a Police Public Call Box stands tall, reminiscent of an era long gone. The Bakelite telephone - a timeless symbol of communication that revolutionized the way we connect. David Wright's iconic pin-up calendar girl graces the walls, capturing the allure conversations in 1950. Cobham Air Routes Poster reminds us how phones bridged distances and brought loved ones closer even before air travel became common. The Red Telephone Box, an unmistakable landmark in London's streetscape, preserving memories of countless conversations held within its cozy confines. Margaret Lockwood captivates audiences in Carol Reed's Night Train to Munich (1940), showcasing how phones played pivotal roles even on the silver screen. An illustrated brochure from W Barratt & Co Ltd takes us back to Northampton's telephonic past – where innovation met practicality. In Wandsworth Road, Clapham SW8, a major fire serves as a stark reminder of emergency calls made through these trusty devices throughout history. The Shard skyscraper looms over London like a modern-day beacon – reminding us that despite technological advancements, phones remain essential for daily connections. A vigilant policeman stands beside a police call box – exemplifying how these boxes served as lifelines for law enforcement during times of need. As we reflect on Picture No.