Following the invention of the telephone in 1876, the first telephones were rented in pairs which were limited to conversation between the parties operating those two instruments. The use of a central exchange was soon found to be even more advantageous than in telegraphy. In January 1878 the Boston Telephone Dispatch company had started hiring boys as telephone operators. Boys had been very successful as telegraphy operators, but their attitude, lack of patience, and behavior was unacceptable for live telephone contact, so the company began hiring women operators instead.

These operators were almost always women until the early 1970s, when men were once again hired. In many cases, customers came to know their operator by name.As telephone exchanges converted to automatic (dial) service, switchboards continued to serve specialized purposes. Before the advent of direct-dialed long distance calls, a subscriber would need to contact the long-distance operator in order to place a toll call.

Check out these 28 amazing vintage photos below which showing women who worked as telephone switchboard operators from the past.

A typical telephone exchange switchboard, 1943Army WAC phone operator, ca. 1940sBell System telephone operators, 1950Canadian Women’s Army Corps operating the telephone switchboard at Canadian Military Headquarters, London, 1945Chesapeake and Potomac telephone operators, Washington D.C, 1919Early switchboard operator, ca. 1880sOperator at a switchboard, ca.1900Southwestern Bell Telephone switchboard operators, ca. 1960sSwitchboard operator, 1948Switchboard operator, Amsterdam, ca. 1940sSwitchboard operators at the Bell Telephone head office, 1912Switchboard operators at the sole Milwaukee telephone exchange, 1883Switchboard operators at the Sydney GPO Switchboard, 1913Switchboard operators, 1922Telephone operator, 1898Telephone operator, 1929Telephone operator, 1969Telephone operator, ca. 1900sTelephone operators in Seattle, Washington, 1952Telephone operators, ca. 1910sTelephone operators, ca. 1950sTelephone switchboard operator on Washington Island, 1915Telephone switchboard operators in the 1960sTelephone switchboard operators, ca. 1900sTelephone twitchboard operators, 1914The early switchboard operator, ca. 1880sWAC telephone operators operate the Victory switchboard during the Potsdam Conference in their headquarters in Babelsburg, Germany, 17 July 1945Women operators in Richmond, Virginia, 1884