Candlestick telephones gained popularity in the 1880s as the telephone became an important piece of technology for modern businesses.
A standard candlestick phone included a base, stem, mouthpiece, and receiver. The phone’s heavy receiver, or speaker end, rested on a hooked perch when not in use.
Our candlestick telephone, like the majority of early candlesticks, has only a single switch for dialing an operator.
Due to the threat of influenza and tuberculosis shortly after World War I, telephone producers developed mouthpieces made from glass or porcelain, which were thought to be more sanitary than Bakelite or rubber. These parts could be easily cleaned by unscrewing and boiling them, and employees of large companies sometimes carried their own mouthpieces to work.