Switchboard Collection

Telephone Switchboard
New Scotland Yard switchboard

Switchboard Girls / 1930S
Girls working on a telephone switchboard, watched over by a stern-looking supervisor

Circuit board

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]

The switchboard at the Newcastle Telephone Exchange. 24th Januaray 1931

The opening of the new telephone exchange at South John Street, Liverpool. Pictured is the room where the switching over from the old to the new takes place. 5th November 1920

In front and behind the scenes at the Coliseum, London
A great stage and a great curtain: in front and behind the scenes at the Coliseum, London. Top centre: a diagrammatic view of the revolving stage

A long line of telephone switchboards with female operators

London telephone exchange, WWII
Women telephone operators at a London telephone exchange with tin helmets, during World War II

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

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

Women as electricians WWI
Women in London electric station. During World War One there seemed to be no limit to the number of civilian occupations that women showed themselves cabable of replacing men

Telephone bureau exchange, 1889
Telephone bureau exchange. 19th-century artwork of woman operating the exchange at a telephone bureau. They are using receivers to listen to incoming calls and using the wires

Blitz, 1940-41: Telephonists continuing to work (b/w photo)
8634814 Blitz, 1940-41: Telephonists continuing to work (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Telephonists continuing to work)

The switchboard of the world (b/w photo)
8676258 The switchboard of the world (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The switchboard of the world at the General Post Office)

Switchboard operator, 1882
3479278 Switchboard operator, 1882; (add.info.: Switchboard operator replacing a subscriber's indicator flap in the telephone exchange. Dated 1882.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

An English switchboard operator speaking to America by radio telephone for the first time in 1926
3058458 An English switchboard operator speaking to America by radio telephone for the first time in 1926. From The Story of 25 Eventful Years in Pictures published 1935 by Unknown photographer

Metropolitan telephone, 1890
3479273 Metropolitan telephone, 1890; (add.info.: Metropolitan telephone company's central station, Cartlant Street, New York: the switchboard)

Switchboard telephone exchange, 1885
3479292 Switchboard telephone exchange, 1885; (add.info.: Male shown operating a Switchboard at a telephone exchange. Used to connect two callers together. Dated 1885.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Extensible switchboard, 1850
3479277 Extensible switchboard, 1850; (add.info.: Photograph showing the P.A.X 50-line Extensible switchboard wired throughout in Geon PVS sheathed cable)

Detail of a switchboard in a dynamo room, between 1900 and 1905. Creator: Unknown
Detail of a switchboard in a dynamo room, between 1900 and 1905

U.S.S. Oregon switchboard in dynamo room, between 1896 and 1901. Creator: Edward H Hart
U.S.S. Oregon switchboard in dynamo room, between 1896 and 1901

House Office Building - Telephone Exchange, 1912. Creator: Harris & Ewing
House Office Building - Telephone Exchange, 1912

Radio, between 1910 and 1920. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Radio, between 1910 and 1920. Creator: Harris & Ewing
Radio, between 1910 and 1920. USA

Poro College; The publicity department; Telephone switch board, 1922. Creator: Unknown
Poro College; The publicity department; Telephone switch board, 1922

Telephone operators, between 1914 and 1917. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Telephone operators, between 1914 and 1917
Telephone operators, between 1914 and 1917. USA. Emma Nutt became the world's first female telephone operator when she was hired in 1878

YWCA Poster, Back our girls over there, WW1
YWCA Poster, design by Clarence F Underwood, Back our girls over there, United War Work Campaign, First World War. 1918

A girl telephonist at the main A. R. P. control centre of Liverpool operating her phone
A girl telephonist at the main A.R.P. control centre of Liverpool operating her phone while wearing a gas mask. 13th April 1941

Mrs Norma Whitehouse aged 25, telephonist at Kumficar. Halifax in West Yorkshire. June 1959

First transatlantic telephone call, from London to New York, 7 March 1926, (1935). Ringing Up " Uncle Sam"...the actual scene at the switchboard when London spoke to America by radio

HM Queen Elizabeth II at her desk in Buckingham Palace as she opens one of the boxes in which documents and papers which have been sorted for her attention are sent upstairs by the Private Secretary

Port Sunlight - telephone switchboard - early 1900s

Telphone switchboard, Port Sunlight soap factory, Wirral

Telephone Exchange, Paris, 1904 (print)
541374 Telephone Exchange, Paris, 1904 (print) by French School, (20th century); (add.info.: From Le Petit Journal Paris 17 April 1904)

Switchboard Operators, U. S. Capitol Building, Washington DC, USA, July 1937 (b/w photo)
5974322 Switchboard Operators, U.S. Capitol Building, Washington DC, USA, July 1937 (b/w photo) by Harris & Ewing (1905-45); Private Collection

Berlin telephone exchange, office IX, telephone exchange with manual operation
7279555 Berlin telephone exchange, office IX, telephone exchange with manual operation by Unknown Artist, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Berlin telephone exchange, office IX)

The Telegraph Station with Electromotive Printing Telegraphs in Berlin, Germany, 1890, Historic
7279554 The Telegraph Station with Electromotive Printing Telegraphs in Berlin, Germany, 1890, Historic by Unknown Artist

Hump master in a Chicago and North Western railroad yard operating a signal... Chicago, Ill. 1942. Creator: Jack Delano
Hump master in a Chicago and Northwestern [i.e. North Western] railroad yard operating a signal switch system which extends the length of the hump track

Alexander Graham Bell (engraving)
1734160 Alexander Graham Bell (engraving) by French School; (add.info.: Alexandre Graham Bell (1847-1922) Scottish inventor of phone in 1876

La banniere des cosaques de l Oural - Banner of the Ural Cossacks par Shipov, Pavel Dmitriyevich (1860-1919)
FIA5403456 La banniere des cosaques de l Oural - Banner of the Ural Cossacks par Shipov, Pavel Dmitriyevich (1860-1919), 1891 - Chromolithography - Private Collection by Shipov

The Telephone Exchange System (engraving)
7193776 The Telephone Exchange System (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Telephone Exchange System)

Engine room showing switchboard, Electric Light Works, Canterbury, Kent (b / w photo)
5996941 Engine room showing switchboard, Electric Light Works, Canterbury, Kent (b/w photo) by Collis, Henry Beauchamp (fl.1881-1913); Private Collection; (add.info.: Engine room showing switchboard)

As modern wars are waged, Marshal Oyama leads the battle of Mukden by the tens... (colour litho)
2814804 As modern wars are waged, Marshal Oyama leads the battle of Mukden by the tens... (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info.: Like modern wars)

Air conditioning for the House of Commons by G. H. Davis
To cool the heads and warm the feet of our legislators: air-conditioning for the new House of Commons. Diagram by G. H. Davis in The Illustrated London News showing how a single switchboard operator

Central telephone exchange 1903
The post office central telephone exchange, St. Pauls Churchyard, London, England. Date: 1903

The Berlin Central Telephone Exchange, c. 1890 (oil on canvas)
CHT247155 The Berlin Central Telephone Exchange, c.1890 (oil on canvas) by Zehme, Werner (1859-1916); Museum fur Kommunikation, Frankfurt

An animous telephone operator (Colour Litho)
2778014 An animous telephone operator (Colour Litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info.: An animous telephonist)

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"Connecting the World: The Evolution of Switchboards Through Time" In the early 1900s, telephone switchboards revolutionized communication, becoming the lifeline that connected people across vast distances. These intricate systems, often operated by dedicated switchboard girls in their iconic headsets, were at the heart of every telephone exchange. One such historic moment was captured on January 24th, 1931, at the Newcastle Telephone Exchange. The image showcases a bustling room filled with women skillfully maneuvering through a maze of wires and circuits to connect calls seamlessly. Across the globe in London, another pivotal scene unfolded within the Metropolitan Police operations room. Here, switchboard operators played a crucial role in coordinating emergency responses and maintaining public safety during critical moments. Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes glimpses from Coliseum Theatre in London revealed an army of diligent switchboard operators working tirelessly to ensure smooth communication between performers and production teams. During World War II's tumultuous times, long lines of telephone switchboards became vital tools for military communications at London's telephone exchange. These resilient machines served as lifelines connecting soldiers on distant battlefields with their loved ones back home. The significance of these switchboards extended beyond wartime efforts. In 1903, phone exchanges emerged as centralized hubs where individuals could access telecommunication services conveniently. This marked a turning point towards widespread connectivity for communities worldwide. Amidst societal changes during WWI when women took on new roles traditionally held by men; they also stepped into positions as electricians operating these complex systems with precision and expertise. Celebrations erupted upon opening South John Street's new telephone exchange in Liverpool—an emblematic symbol representing progress and modernity for its residents who eagerly embraced this technological advancement. Looking even further back into history reveals an enchanting glimpse into one of the earliest iterations—the Telephone Bureau Exchange established in 1889—a testament to humanity's relentless pursuit to bridge distances through innovation and ingenuity.