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

References

Other sources

*Kjetil Fallan (2010). ''Design History: Understanding Theory and Method''. Berg Publishers. .

External links