Sunday, May 01, 2005

"Old Phone"

Over one hundred years ago, this phone was purchased by James Caldwell Wise for him and his wife, Mary Louisa. They lived on a farm in Iowa and probably found the new technology quite amazing. James Caldwell Wise was my wife's great-grandfather. This phone has been hanging on Wise family walls since then. Of course it no longer works, and it's very heavy. When the EDMG announced the week's challenge as "phone," I knew immediately what had to be memoralized in my little moleskine: Grandpa's phone.
Posted by Hello

8 comments:

  1. Great sketch, Jim and what a fabulous piece of history! Shame it can't be made to work. What a buzz it would be to make & receive phone calls on it today.

    Cheers
    Robyn
    Scratches & Scribbles

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  2. Great story and great drawing. Those old phones are really neat pieces. I can't imagine that our descendents will want OUR current phones, can you?

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  3. Jim, love that sketch....over hundred years old? Imagine the stories of everyday life...if only it could talk!
    My friends own old phone similar to yours, fully restored and working.Ring tone is hauntingly beautiful

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  4. you found a really cool subject, jim! i like the little bit of history that goes with your sketch =) it would be such a trip to have it work. i'd love to see the look on the face of anyone who asks if they may use your phone. ahahaha!

    --ian [everydaymatters]
    http://ulan25.so-phobic.com/paperjournal

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  5. Jim - I was hoping someone would have an old phone to sketch. I have a cell phone (like everyone else) but I still look back longingly at the older models. We didn't have one quite as old as the one you sketched, but I do remember sitting in our upstairs hallway talking to my friends on one of the old plain-jane black ones. Ah! the memories....

    Great sketch!

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  6. Fine drawing there and I like how the tone is muted, sorta historical, dontcha know! Good job!
    Li

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  7. I love old things, and you really did this one justice. We have an old ringer box but without the extras for listening and talking. There's nothing like beautiful old oak.

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  8. Cool. My dad has the same one on the wall.

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