Snapshots of the Past

C. & P. Telephone Co. Exchange, Washington, D.C. – Historic Reproduction

C. & P. Telephone Co. Exchange, Washington, D.C., [ca. 1920] — historic photograph
C. & P. Telephone Co. Exchange, Washington, D.C., [ca. 1920]. Historic photograph from the Washington DC collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

This historic photograph of C. & P. Telephone Co. Exchange, Washington, D.C. brings a moment of history to your wall. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. It brings character to any room and makes a memorable gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.

C. & P. Telephone Co. Exchange, Washington, D.C.

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Telephone operators at a Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company exchange in Washington were among the city's most visible women workers around 1920. Before automatic dialing spread, calls were connected by operators seated before rows of switchboards, wearing headsets and plugging cords into jacks. The work was fast and closely supervised, and it drew many young women into office employment at a time when such jobs were opening to them in growing numbers. The picture preserves a record of that labor, which was central to daily city life long before the dial telephone replaced it.

Created / published[ca. 1920]
Medium1 photographic. print.
GenrePhotographic. prints 1920.
SubjectsChesepeake and Potomac Telephone Company--People--Washington (D.C.)--1920. Telephone operators--1920. Women--Employment--Washington (D.C.)--1920.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,112 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-165257

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