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Photograph

Woman at switchboard, Seattle, circa 1922

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Today, telephone call connections are made electronically. At first, however, each connection had to be made individually by an operator at a switchboard. This was a popular job for women.

In this photo, taken in the early 1920s, a Seattle telephone operator uses a telephone switchboard to connect people who've called with the people they're calling.

Handwritten on sleeve: Telephone Girls Switchboard Girls
Photographer's Reference Number: 95450
ID Number: 1983.10.2720.1
Date: Circa 1922
Creator(s): Webster & Stevens, Photographer
Physical Description: 1 nitrate negative : b&w ; 8 x 10 in.
Credit: MOHAI, PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection, 1983.10.2720.1
Copyright: No Known Copyright