Pair of Bell telephones, 1878

Pair of Bell telephones, made by S. M Pair of Bell telephones, made by S. M

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Pair of Bell telephones, made by S. M
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Pair of Bell telephones, made by S. M
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Pair of Bell telephones, made by S. M. James, British, 1878

Pair of Bell telephones, made by S. M. James, British, 1878.

After Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) demonstrated his first telephone, descriptions and drawings began to appear in the technical press of the time. In 1876, William Preece (1834-1913), later the Engineer-in-Chief at the Post Office, brought over the first pair of telephones to Britain. Many experimenters attempted to make their own copies of Bell's instruments - this pair of Bell telephones was made by Mr S M James, two years after the first Bell instruments were brought to the UK.

Details

Category:
Telecommunications
Object Number:
1953-105
Materials:
wood (unidentified), metal (unknown) and copper (alloy)
Measurements:
overall: 55 mm x 250 mm x 140 mm, .96 kg
type:
telephone
credit:
Donated by the Institution of Electrical Engineers