1930’s Phone Etiquette Still Apropos

What have we here? — A vintage rotary phone with 2 antique phone dialers with sterling silver handles. – Telephone dialers were used from the 1930’s through the 1960’s, to keep fingernails from breaking or polish from chipping off of fingernails, when dialing a rotary phone. They are similar to flatware handles on one end, with a small knob on the other end, that was inserted into the holes of the phone dial for turning it with ease. Rotary dials were first made about 1900 and were standard on phones made in the 1920s up until the 1960s. Push button phones, like those we have today, were not common in homes until the 1980’s.

Question: In using the telephone. should a woman say: "This is Mary Smith speaking," or "This is Mrs. Smith'"?

Answer: A young woman, whether married or single, when speaking over the telephone to another woman of her own social position, always says: "This is Mary Smith." The person answering should say: "How do you do, Mrs. Smith," unless she habitually calls her by her first name, "Mary."

In business conversations or to one who is not her equal, a woman always speaks of herself as "Mrs. Smith."

A middle aged or elderly woman always speaks of herself as "Mrs. Smith." except, of course, to those who actually call her by her first name.

Socially, a young man should say, This is John Jones speaking, but in business he should say, "Mr. Jones speaking."

Business etiquette requires that a woman say, "This is Miss Smith of the R. H. Jones Co." or "R. H. Jones Co., Mr. Jones' secretary speaking."— From “Standard Rules of Etiquette,” 1930

 🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia