The Bakelite phone (''bakelittelefon'') officially known as Ericsson DBH 1001, and later as M33, N1020, and ED 702, was a Swedish
line of telephones made from the polymer
Bakelite
Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite ( ), is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed ...
and produced for over thirty years between 1931 and 1962.
History
The Ericsson DBH 1001 of 1931 was a collaborative project between the
Elektrisk Bureau in
Oslo,
Televerket (Sweden) and
Lars Magnus Ericsson
Lars Magnus Ericsson (; 5 May 1846 – 17 December 1926) was a Swedish inventor, entrepreneur and founder of telephone equipment manufacturer Ericsson ( incorporated as ''Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson'').
Lars Magnus was born in Värmskog, ...
(1846–1926). It was designed by Norwegian electrical engineer
Johan Christian Bjerknes (1889-1983) and Norwegian artist and designer
Jean Heiberg
Jean Hjalmar Dahl Heiberg (19 December 1884 – 27 May 1976) was a Norwegian painter, sculptor, designer and art professor.
Personal life
Heiberg was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Hjalmar Heiberg (1837–97) and Jea ...
(1884–1976). It was the first Bakelite phone with integral cradle, dial and ringer, and was very modern for its time.
Until the early 1930s, the housing of the Swedish phone models was made from pressed steel. Material change from steel to Bakelite brought new opportunities in design, while also reducing the production time for the housing. The Bakelite phone was not only compact but also light at just below 3kg, and could be grasped by one hand. The device with its simple, curved angular design became an instant hit with the industry as well as the consumers, and was highly influential. In most of Europe, it was known as the ''Swedish type of telephone''.
Variants
Already in the mid 1930s, Ericsson showed a white Bakelite phone in advertisements, often in the hands of a young woman. However, this model seems never to have been offered to the public. At the
1939 World Fair in
New York City, Ericsson showed a transparent variant made of
acrylic
Acrylic may refer to:
Chemicals and materials
* Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound
* Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity
* Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...
and
diakon plastic
Diakon is a town and ''commune'' in the Cercle of Bafoulabé in the Kayes Region
Kayes Region ( Bambara: ߞߊߦߌ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Kayi Dineja) is one of eight first level national subdivisions in Mali called Regions. It is the first admi ...
.
The standard color of the phone was black, but there were also variants in drab brown, red, and green. The process of using Bakelite did not permit the production of bright colors. The device was manufactured from 1933 in a smaller format, and from 1947 redesigned with softer, more rounded edges as the model designated M50. It was also offered in white
melamine. The metal dial rotor was replaced with a plastic version, and a spiral cord became standard.
During 1950, Ericsson also experimented with a
keypad version, instead of the
rotary dial, but it would take another ten years before they became standard in Swedish phones. In 1962, the Bakelite Phone was replaced by the
Ericsson Dialog model.
Images
Image:Bakelittelefon_modell.jpg, Clay model 1930
Image:Bakelittelefon_vit.jpg, White melamine 1935
Image:Ericsson DBH 1001 1939.jpg, Model DBH 1001 (bottom plate) 1939
Image:Bakelittelefon_1947a.jpg, Revised with softer lines 1947–1962
Image:Bakelittelefon_knappar.jpg, Experiment with keypad
See also
*
Ericofon
The Ericofon is a one-piece plastic telephone created by the Ericsson Company of Sweden and marketed through the second half of the 20th century. It was the first commercially marketed telephone to incorporate the dial and handset into a singl ...
*
Ericsson Dialog
References
Other sources
*Kjetil Fallan (2010). ''Design History: Understanding Theory and Method''. Berg Publishers. .
External links
{{commons category, Bakelittelefonen
Telephony equipment
Industrial design
Swedish design
Ericsson