Jean Heiberg (1884 – 1976) – Bakelite Telephone

Norwegian painter Jean Heiberg (1884–1976), who later studied with Matisse in Paris, is credited with designing the first “modern” telephone—certainly the one that is most well-known to consumers.

Around 1930, the Swedish company Ericsson was working on a new dial-replacing technology for telephones, and they were looking for a designer to give it a fresh, marketable shape, DBH1001. Johan Christian Bjerknes, a company engineer at Oslo’s Elektrisk Bureau, an Ericsson subsidiary, was initially given the position. His task was to create a device that would appeal to everyone, as Ericsson believed the world was its potential market. Byerknes decided to use Bakelite but realised he needed assistance with the design. The job was given to Jean Heiberg because Norway’s top artist at the time, Alf Rolfson, was too busy working on a hospital mural. Heiberg had recently returned from Paris’ ateliers to take a position as a professor at Oslo’s National Academy of Fine Art. In 1932, the “DBH1001” model of Heiberg’s design, which still carries some of the neo-classical stylobate that dominated his first plaster drawings, entered production.

The first telephone with a Bakelite housing as opposed to a metal one was from 1931. In addition to having better insulation capabilities and being more hygienic, the plastic also allowed for the moulding of a slender, ergonomic shape, which would be an inspiration for future models.

Sources

Bayley, S. (1985, January 1). The Conran Directory of Design. Conran Octopus.

Dormer, P. (1991, September 12). The Illustrated Dictionary of Twentieth Century Designers.

Kozel, N. (2013, April 1). Design. In The Groundbreaking Moments.

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