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Cyber Telephone Museum www.museumphones.com/
“Every day they would bring in the old telephones that they had replaced and turn them over to me to be destroyed. I became very proficient at smashing these old sets. I would use my trusty sledgehammer and strike the telephone in the middle of the dial, and then again in the middle of the handset. Needless to say, it sickens me to think about all the wonderful telephone instruments I destroyed....hundreds of them!” writes Ron on his website. Then one fateful day, an installer brought in a Western Electric 202, often called a “French Phone” because of the style of handle. Ron decided to take it home to his wife, who loved it. Then more phones came in, almost on a daily basis, and Ron was bitten by the collecting bug. His repairmen keyed in on his new hobby, and they kept an eye out for him. Then Ron’s true colors as a collector began to shine forth. He started calling his counterparts in other independent phone companies on the West Coast, and soon phones were rolling in from all over the Northwest. Ron has since passed his collection along to his son, but you can still see many interesting phones on his website. He also has several historic photos, including one of Alexander Graham Bell making the first long distance phone call from New York to Chicago in 1892, one of a telephone installer in 1911 carrying his equipment while he rides to the next job. Another photo on his website shows the “Drop Test,” where handsets were let fall six feet down a slide onto an anvil to make sure they were built soundly. Can you imagine doing that with your cell phone today? Of course, the Picture Index is the highlight of the website. The photo gallery exhibits phones from the 1800s and early 1900s, including the Liquid Transmitter, which was the first electric telephone to carry a message on March 10, 1876: “Mr. Watson, come here; I want you.” Bell had spilled acid on himself so he called out those famous words. But do you know what word Dr. Bell suggested should be used when answering a phone call? Not “Hello,” but “Ahoy!” Old Radios http://aligator222.tripod.com/radio/radio.html
It’s terrible of me to dissolve the accomplishments of this great invention down to its lowest form. No wait. Rap music is its lowest form (speaking as a parent), so I’ve only taken it down to the second rung from the bottom. I am sorry I missed the Golden Days of Radio – the Shadow, Fibber McGee and Molly, George Burns, Amos and Andy, the Lone Ranger and all those great old radio shows. But fortunately, there are dedicated collectors out there who are keeping the memory alive with their collections of antique and vintage radios. Dave collects and restores these old tube-type beauties, and he has 60 in his collection. As he writes, “There are many reasons [why] people collect and restore old radios. For me, I enjoy restoring a 40-, 50- or 60-year-old piece of history. There is nothing like the deep, mellow sound of an old tube radio.” Then Dave suggests, “Click on the links below to view photos of some of my radios. While you are viewing them, think about someone 40 or 50 years ago, sitting around and listening to an old radio program.” The oldest radio on his website is a 1925 Atwater Kent Model 20, which as you can see in the photo, has the horn-type speaker. Dave has close to 50 radios posted for your enjoyment, so boot up your computer, type in Dave’s webpage on your Internet browser, put Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra on your media player or your MP3, sit back and take a gander at Dave’s collection. The Photography of Matthew Brady http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/brady/bradcont.html http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html
Early in his career, Brady began making jewelry boxes and miniature boxes, then his life changed after Samuel Morse (yes, the Samuel Morse who created the Morse Code) introduced him to the daguerreotype. Brady soon became an expert in the new field of photography. Opening his own gallery, Brady gained fame by photographing the famous people of his day. The Smithsonian has an exhibit of his work (www.npg.si.educ/exh/brady/bradcont.html) that features such notables as P.T. Barnum, John C. Fremont, Admiral David Farragut, Jefferson Davis, Clara Barton, and others. Click on “Index of Sitters” to choose a photo by name. Or you can go to “Carte de Visite Album” to see an album page of CDVs; click on individual photos to see some historical figures that may not be so well known (along with others who are). For instance, there is the CDV of Anna Elizabeth Dickinson (1842-1932) who was a writer and an abolitionist, and Adele Cutts Douglas (1835-1899), the wife of presidential hopeful Stephen A. Douglas, who lost to the presidency to Abraham Lincoln. You can also read how Brady made a photograph using the wet plate process. Today, we can get photos in an hour. In his day, Brady had only an hour after he poured the chemical called “collodion” on a plate before he had to take a photo. And that was just the beginning of a multi-step process. The Civil War brought the nation to a crossroads during Brady’s career. On the Smithsonian website, there are about 16 photos from the Civil War that were taken by Brady or his assistants. Under the “Brady’s Biography” button, click on “Brady and the Civil War” to see them. Among generals like Sherman and Lee, there is a photo of a widow, Rose O’Neal Greenhow, who has an interesting story. Although very popular in Washington, she was an ardent supporter of the Confederate cause. She communicated Union plans to the Confederates about the upcoming Battle of Bull Run (which the Union lost big time). For her treason, Detective Allan Pinkerton arrested her and her young daughter, and they were both sent to prison. Brady visited them there and took their photograph. Mrs. Greenhow was eventually released from prison, and after the Civil War, she moved to England. She died in a shipwreck while returning to America. But, back to Brady. The Civil War made him rich, but unfortunately, his financial status did not make him smart business-wise. He believed people would continue to buy photos of the war after it was over, so he spent $100,000 buying prints of Civil War photos. But like any fad or fancy, it passed and the buying public decided to put the Civil War behind them. Brady lost his shirt and died a pauper. Unfortunately, he died thinking no one would ever appreciate his work or the risks he took to record history. He and his assistants literally risked their lives going on fields of battle to take photographs. Fortunately, Matthew Brady was also wrong about his legacy. In addition to the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress also has posted some of Brady’s photos on the Internet (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html), and they are a treasure. |
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