Long forgotten office supplies
Office supplies staples such as typewriters, snail mail, and switchboard operators are found nowadays in history books rather than the workplace. These outdated relics have been replaced by a modern relative, allowing businesses today, supposedly, to increase productivity, security, and accessibility.
Not something you could slip into your briefcase! They used to write whole novels on these.
pinterest.com
This really streamlined the accounts, with a tear off copy of the calculations.
dreamstime.com
Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the fax machine, a device that became as prominent in offices worldwide as the water cooler, but its reputation switched from a necessity to one of the most despised pieces of equipment in the work area.
atthemanse.wordpress.com
Dictating machine with reel to reel magnetic tape, “Type this letter up please Miss Smith”.
etsy.com
The Trimphone was the nearest you could get to a mobile phone in the sixties, a long cable with a stretchy curly cord meant that you could carry it around. It was the first phone without a bell ringer – an electronic warble provided the ring tone.
wikipedia.com
In those days we were limited to landlines for communication, but the pager helped, now, through the cloud, calls can be forwarded to your smart phone and voice, data, and images can be received on practically any device.
topdesignmag.com
First, you had to remember what day it was.
pinterest.com
The vintage contacts list, they used to take them when they went away on holiday (yes…really!)
pinterest.com
A Samsonite Classic attaché case was one of the coolest business accessories, also carried by secret agents; check out “Funeral in Berlin” (1966). The design was simple, stylish, and modern, incorporating new materials. If you were flying on business, nothing else would cut the mustard in First Class! Now a diminutive iPad is all we need.
theawesomer.com
While today’s technologies focus on efficiency and speed, if you wanted a copy in the past, you had to physically get up from your desk, trundle over to a big grey box (not dissimilar to a large chest freezer), lift the lid, insert your document, and press the button. After much whirring and grinding, the copy would come out of the other end, just in time for lunch.
digibarn.com
Do you have any vintage stationery or long forgotten office supplies in your office? Tweet a picture of your vintage office items on our twitter page by clicking here.
