Bell staff atop despatch building
glass negative
PHOTOGRAPHS - GLASS NEGATIVESRosenfeld and Sons
USA, NY, New York
Circa 1918
overall: 10 x 8 in.; 25.4 x 20.32 cm
8x10 glass plate negative taken by Rosenfeld and Sons circa 1918. Image of Holmes Telephone Building in Boston. Visible in image: men on phone poles on top of building, and inside offices of building with signs: "Electric/ Call/ Bells" and "Telephone Despatch Co./ Holmes & Co. Hotel/ A---lators", caption reads:"Office of E.T. Holmes/ 342 Washington St. Boston, "1877"/In this office the first telephone business was done, and the first/ connection of banks and business firms through a central office and/ switchboard was accomplished./ This was done by Mr. E.T. Holmes personally, and before and/ phone company had been organized: The original switchboard here used is now the property of Mr. Holmes./ Telephones 6,7, and others were used: the first girl operator was --. / The upper floor of this building was leased for the first telephone/ exchange and the roof holds the first roof fixture for telephone wires./ Mr. J.J. Carty chief engineer of the American Telephone and Tele-/graph Co. began his telephone career in this building." Written on the original negative sleeve: "IV #1/ Holmes Telephone Bldg Boston/ where the first telephone switchboard/ was located in May 1877 / 3 for thin aft./ Rush".
1984.187.9471
Mystic Seaport, Rosenfeld Collection