Telephone operator's chair, 1930-1960

Telephone operator's chair, unknown maker for the General Post Office, British, 1930-1960.

Until 1913, telephone operators in Britain used a variety of office chairs for their work, none of which were particularly suited to the stretching and movement required of them, especially when taller switchboards began to come in to use. In 1913, a prototype standard adjustable chair with footrest, called the 'Avenue' type, was trialled and quickly approved. A redesign was made in 1923, called the 'Victoria'. These chairs remained the standard design into the 1970s, with only a small change when the chair was modified to be made out of tubular steel.