Homes, Trades and Games of Long Ago · Drawing 39 of 40
Hello, who's there?
The 20th century
This telephone has no screen and no buttons. To call someone, you turn the dial one number at a time. A cord ties it to the wall: no taking it outside!
Look together
Which part do you hold near your ear?
An idea to try
Make a pretend telephone from an empty box. Your child acts out dialling an invented number, then takes turns exchanging a short message with you.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
The telephone came early to Montréal: the Bell Telephone Company of Canada was founded there on April 29, 1880. For decades, to make a call you lifted the receiver and an operator connected you. In 1924, Bell launched automatic service in Montréal: the dial appeared, and subscribers had to learn to dial the digits themselves, look up a number in the directory and recognize the tones. The handset in the drawing is tied to the phone by a cord: no taking it with you.
With your child, look separately at the dial, the handset and the cord, then compare with a phone they know. The drawing does not date the invention of the telephone; it shows how a communication device shapes the gestures of the person using it.
Sources and context (3)
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.
- Pointe-à-Callière — Allô, Montréal! Les collections historiques de BellHistoire montréalaise du téléphone, évolution des appareils et cadran rotatif. Aucun âge d'invention retenu pour le dessin.
- BCE — Votre nouveau téléphone automatiqueService automatique lancé par Bell à Montréal et Toronto en 1924; apprentissage du cadran.
- Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec — Compagnie de téléphone Bell du CanadaFondation à Montréal le 29 avril 1880.
Source review: 2026-09-15. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.