The mouthpiece of the early telephone was something that directed
the person toward the transmitter. The very early mouthpieces
were made of the same material that housed the transmitting element.
This was usually wood. As the transmitters became more sophisiticated,
the mouthpieces were constructed as separate units. Black hard
rubber or a composite material was used at first. After Bakelite
was invented and became more popular, it replaced the former materials.
Some mouthpieces were sale constructed of an aluminum alloy or
brass. Most "solid back" transmitter mouthpieces can
be placed into one of four different thread patterns. For example,
Western Electric used a 7/8 inch fine thread and Kellogg a 15/16
inch medium thread. These were mouthpieces with outside threads.
This meant that they screwed into a transmitter with threads cut
into the opening of the faceplate. Manufacturers such as Sumter,
Sampson, Connecticut and North utilized mouthpieces that were
threaded on the inside. Below is a chart of the interchangeable
external thread mouthpieces:
Stromberg will fit on Baird, American, Eureka, Leich (Coarse), Monarch, Wesco (Coarse), Bucum, U. E. Co.
Kellogg will fit on North, Dean, Modern, Manhattan, Couch, Ericsson (Coarse), Utica Fire Alarm, Voight Berger, Sumter, Swedish American
Automatic will fit on Chicago, Oxford, Sears Roebuck, Interstate, Wesco, Ericsson (Fine), Julius Andrea, Voight Berger (Fine), Standard, DeVeau, Montgomery Ward
Bakelite mouthpieces were also made available in colors. This may have been the introduction of colored telephones designed to match the decor of a room. The Bakelite mouthpieces have been found in Bakelite colors such as Brown, Red and Green, for example. Because of the epidemics of tuberculosis, influenza and even the plagues, people began thinking of methods for providing a barrier protection against cross contamination that was thought to occur by sharing intimate objects. A number of mouthpieces became available to adapt to the transmitters of most telephones. These mouthpieces were made of glass or porcelain and could be sterilized by boiling in water. The clear glass mouthpieces were popular because it was believed that light killed the germs. One of the more desirable glass mouthpieces was the Red Cross . This was patented in 1910 and manufactured by the Red Cross Telephone Mouthpiece Co., in San Francisco. There were a number of different adaptors that first screwed into the transmitter, some plastic and some metal. One of the metal adaptors had crosses stamped into metal. This mouthpiece was marked "Pat By E & L May 3, 1910 Red Cross Germ Proof Glass Mouthpiece CO" or "Pat by E & L May 3, 1910 Red Cross Germ Proof Mouthpiece." The glass had four colored crosses on it, usually red. Another popular glass mouthpiece was the Whispering or Whisper It design patented in 1916 . The "Whispering Telephone Mouthpiece" was manufactured by the S. & M. Electric Co., 466 Monadnock Block, Chicago. This mouthpiece had a metal adaptor that had metal fingers to grab the rim of glass around the base of the mouthpiece and a "bullet" shaped projection in the center. The venturi design allegedly intensified the sound waves so that one would not have to speak as loud. The glass was marked "Whispering Mouthpiece Pat Oct 10th 1916" or "Whisper-It Mouthpiece Made in U.S.A. Pat Oct. 10th 1916." The Maxim Specialty Co., of New York, had a glass mouthpiece which was patented in 1913. This mouthpiece had no special appointments and was held by metal fingers onto a metal base. A piece of medicated gauze could be held between the glass and the adaptor. The glass was marked "Maxim NY" . The Flint Sanitary Mouthpiece Company of Boston, Massachusetts manufactured a mouthpiece that had a metal adaptor and either a glass or porcelain mouthpiece. This mouthpiece had markings in the glass or porcelain that read: "Flint Sanitary Mouthpiece Trade Mark Pat Applied For." Some porcelain mouthpieces were fabricated entirely in porcelain. One type was marked "American Electric Chicago" and had a letter on it identifying the thread type. The porcelain mouthpieces were often used as advertising vehicles by businesses. The American Electric glass mouthpiece manufactured by Burns was a glass mouthpiece that had a metal adaptor that sandwiched the glass mouthpiece between a flange and the transmitter faceplate. The metal "baffle" had a pair of slots in the center forming an "X." The Bums glass mouthpieces were made of clear crystal glass and were available for a number of telephone manufacturers.