Description: Female telephone switchboard operators at the Ohio Bell Company, 1946. A caption on the reverse reads "Dial assistance and intercepting switchboard. Wrong numbers, calles to disconnected telephones and requests for assistance in completing calls come into this switchboard." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00132
Subjects: Telephone companies--Employees; Multicultural Ohio--Ohio Women; Telephone operators;
 

Description: Reproduction of a photograph of two women working as telephone switchboard operators at Central Union Telephone Company, Canton, Ohio, 1888. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00129
Subjects: Telephone operators; Multicultural Ohio--Ohio Women; Women--Employment
Places: Canton (Ohio); Stark County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of a female telephone or telegraph operator seated at a switchboard. This photograph was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. Like most of Ewing's work, it was taken in the region of southeastern Ohio and central West Virginia. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed "Ewing Brothers" and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society (now the Ohio History Connection) received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio History Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_B26_F2339
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Photographers--Ohio; Portrait photography--United States--History; Women--Employment; Telephone operators;
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: A young girl stands at a telephone or telegraph operator's switchboard. Handwriting on the negative appears to give the name "Hazel Green." This photograph was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. Like most of Ewing's work, it was taken in the region of southeastern Ohio and central West Virginia. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed "Ewing Brothers" and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society (now the Ohio History Connection) received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio History Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_B27_F2461
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Photographers--Ohio; Portrait photography--United States--History; Children; Telephone operators; Telegraphs;
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: This is a photograph of a female telephone or telegraph operator seated at a switchboard. This photograph was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. Like most of Ewing's work, it was taken in the region of southeastern Ohio or central West Virginia. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed “Ewing Brothers” and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Albert J. Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio Historical Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04950
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Women--Employment; Portrait photography--United States—History; Telephone operators
Places: Ohio; West Virginia