1910s Everyday Life - 2

----	1910s Everyday Life part 2
	Communication Genders & Relationships Health Part 1: More Topics

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Communication postcards In the 1910s, cards that were mailed without envelopes fell into two categories: commercially-produced postcards and government-issued postal cards. Commercial cards were printed by private companies and were first sold in 1861. Government cards were issued by the post office and were introduced in Austria in 1869. By 1874, more than 20 countries issued official government cards. Illustrations ranged from simple borders and patriotic emblems to small scenic views. Most early postcards were used for advertising purposes. a postcard craze In the 1890s and 1900s, several factors came together to create a postcard craze. • It became popular in the 1890s to collect illustrated postcards and use them as souvenirs. This trend was launched when attractive cards were produced to commemorate the Exposition Universelle (1889), the World's Columbian Exposition (1893), and Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee (1897). • In 1898, a new postal regulation allowed commercially-produced cards to be mailed at the same low rate as government postcards. • Before 1907, an additional regulation required that the front of the card contain both the message and illustration. When this policy was reversed in 1907, the message and address could share space on the back, leaving the front free for larger and more elaborate pictures. • In the 1900s, new products and improved technology made the photo postcard popular. Many people had their private photos made into postcards, and several cameras were available that could produce postcard-ready negatives. Camera buffs who developed their own pictures could buy photo processing paper with postcard backs. • Local mail was delivered more frequently than it is today. Postcards could be sent and received the same day, which allowed them to be used for things like quick messages and dinner invitations. Most illustrated postcards were printed in Germany. When World War I broke out, the supply of German postcards came to a halt. This helped bring about the end of the postcard craze in the 1920s.

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telephones the central exchange office Each telephone subscriber was connected to the nearest central exchange office, which was named after the town or street where it was located. Your individual subscriber number ranged from one to five digits. In most exchanges, the calls were connected by the operator, who was usually referred to as Central. "Hello, Central? Number 25, please" You could signal the operator by turning the crank on a wall telephone, or by picking up the receiver and clicking the switchhook on a candlestick phone. Your phone didn't have a dial, because phone numbers were given to the operator verbally. When you made a local call, you gave her the subscriber number and party line extension, as well as the central office name if there were several other exchanges nearby. party lines Many subscribers saved money by sharing a party line with their neighbors. This service made it possible for a single telephone line to serve up to 12 parties. Customers were assigned a shared subscriber number and an individual party extension, which consisted of a party letter, a ring code, or a combination of both. For incoming calls, each party listened for their distinctive ring pattern. Party lines were quite common in rural areas, where it was generally too expensive to run individual lines out to each farm. cross-country calling For long distance calls, signal strength had to be maintained over hundreds of miles. The technology that made this possible was perfected in 1915. Before this, the maximum distance a call could travel was constantly increasing. In 1911, a call could only travel 2,100 miles, or the distance between New York and Denver. In 1915, signal strength could be maintained for 3,600 miles, making coast-to-coast calling possible.		making a long distance call Each town was connected to other towns by trunk lines. If your call went on the trunk line, it was considered a long distance toll call. When making a long distance call, you gave the operator the city and state, the central office name, and the subscriber number. Calls that were going very far required a chain of operators. competition The Bell System provided phone service in urban areas, which accounted for 30 percent of the country. The remaining 70 percent received local phone service from independent phone companies. Before 1913, these companies were not permitted to connect to AT&T's long distance trunk lines. Dozens of independent long distance companies were established to serve them. Independent companies were extremely competitive. In areas that weren't served by the Bell System, a subscriber might receive local and long distance service from two separate companies that had chosen not to interconnect. Customers received two telephones and two different phone numbers, and may have also had their calling areas restricted. Long distance options began to expand after 1913, when the independent companies were first able to connect to the AT&T trunk lines. typical phone numbers • individual subscriber: ----Phone 32 ----Harrisburg 116 ----Bedford 2473 • party line: ----Smallville 1603-W-2 ----Phone 236-R ----Farmtown 38-J2 ----Oakwood 364-2 ----Darien 10 F 12 ----Phone 169J
THE CORRECT WAY TO USE A TELEPHONE * Don't "jiggle" the switchhook when trying to get the operator, this will make her signal light cut out * Give number to operator clearly and distinctly * Speak directly into the transmitter with the lips in front of but not touching it * Speak in a moderate tone * Listen for her repetition of the number and acknowledge it ------1916 & 1917 small town newspapers

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Genders & Relationships let me call you sweetheart On the romance front, things were still done the old-fashioned way....unless you had an automobile. Most men courted the woman they hoped to marry. This was done by paying calls at her home, taking her for drives, and escorting her to dances. Young couples had very few opportunities to be alone. They had to steal private moments when they could: walking home from church, riding in the carriage, or maybe going to the picture show. Things were different for the motor car owner. His trusty Model T could take him and his sweetheart miles away from home, perhaps for an entire afternoon! Parents didn't care for this new trend at all. "What makes a beautiful woman? Sweetness, amiability, beautiful features and a fine complexion. She must be chic, smile entrancingly and walk or dance gracefully." ------1918 advertisement women in society There were two types of women in the 1910s....1) the traditional woman, who believed that her place was in the home, and 2) the New Woman, who went to college, worked outside the home, and aspired to be the social equal of men. The primary desire of the traditional woman was to please the man in her life. The advertising industry reinforced this by stressing that it was a woman's duty to choose her clothing, cosmetics, groceries, and household products with her husband in mind. The New Woman, on the other hand, saw nothing wrong with making decisions for herself. If she wanted to drive a motor car, smoke cigarettes in public, play sports, travel unescorted, or work in an office, she would. Some men found the New Woman to be confident, charming, and refreshing. Most men, however, were horrified. Surely, if women leave their domestic roles, only chaos can result! Some women also didn't care for the New Woman. They felt that these forward-thinking ladies were losing their femininity and becoming more like men.		"Women play a most important role in the affairs of the world. It is not only their priviledge to represent the highest type of beauty - it is their duty to do so." ------1918 corset ad

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Health a visit from the doctor The doctor was summoned to the patient's home during times of illness or injury. Both his office and residence phone numbers were listed in the phone directory. If he wasn't going to be at home, he left word with the telephone operator so she could always reach him, day or night. Patients usually remained at home during their treatment and recovery. The doctor's black medical bag contained everything he needed to perform routine procedures. Office visits were recommended when additional testing or X-rays were required. Hospital stays were reserved for cases involving major surgery. The doctor's bag contained several leather folding cases. There was one for blood samples, one for pills, and one for suture materials. There was also a case containing sample slides depicting several common diseases. The doctor matched these to the blood tests to make his diagnosis. His bag also contained a stethoscope, hypodermic syringes, and prescription pad. 1919 DOCTOR FEES * Office call, day.................................$1.50 * Office call, night.................................2.00 * Day calls (city limits)..........................2.50 * Night calls (city limits).........................4.00 * Out-of-city calls..................................City fee + 50c per mile * Ordinary labor & 2 aftercalls................25.00 * Small Pox --Scarlet Fever --Diphtheria --Epidemic Meningitis --Infantile Paralysis...............................50c extra Night call: 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. All fees not including medicines

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Part 1: More Topics