JKL Museum of Telephony News and Updates

The JKL Museum of Telephony has an exhibit at the San Francisco Airport. The exhibit is open between Aug 30, 2025 – Aug 16, 2026. You can find the exhibit in Terminal 2, Departures Level 2, Gallery 2A – Post-Security.

See the SFO Museum FAQ info below for information on how to visit the galleries without a boarding pass.

The exhibit contains objects from the collection of the JKL Museum of Telephony, several private individuals, and several other museums.

This project was begun in March of 2024. The JKL Museum of Telephony provided the expertise in regards to historical and technical accuracy. The SFO Museum staff designed and installed all the displays. It was a pleasure to work with the SFO Museum putting this all together.

Photos: Courtesy SFO Museum

Give Me a Ring - A Telephone Retrospective
The Chinese Telephone Exchange
Overview
World War I Telephone Technology
Candlestick Telephones and Covers
Picturephones
Early Desk Telephones
Early Desk Telephones
Picturephones
Rotary Dial and Handsets
Telephone Linemen and Equipment
International Phones
Overview
The Chinese Telephone Exchange
Overview
Overview
Overview
Overview
Telephones: In Air and On Land
Payphones
Overview
Portable Telephones and More
Overview
Picturephones
Telephones: In Air and On Land & Portable Telephones and More
The Office
Payphones & The Office
Payphones & The Office
Mickey Mouse telephone 1990, AT&T Design Line Series
Garfield telephone 1980s, Tyco, Hong Kong
Garfield telephone 1980s, Tyco, Hong Kong
Payphones & The Office
Payphones
Pac-Man telephone 1982, Bally Midway Mfg. Co., Hong Kong
Snoopy telephone 1970s, AT&T Design Line Series
Western Electric Model 500 & Princess and Trimline Telephones
Pac-Man telephone 1982, Bally Midway Mfg. Co., Hong Kong
Novelty Telephones
Novelty Telephones
Novelty Telephones
Toy Telephones
Toy Telephones & Novelty Telephones
Princess telephones 1960s, Designed by Henry Dreyfuss (1904–72), Western Electric
Model 500 “mushroom” telephone 1954, Western Electric, United States
Model 183 Space Saver wall telephone 1960s, Automatic Electric
Overview
Rotary Dial and Handsets
Western Electric Model 500 - Salesman samples 1950s
Rotary Dial and Handsets
Euphonia telephone “hideaway” c. 1921
Western Electric Model 500 & Rotary Dial and Handsets
Early Telephones & Candlestick Telephones and Covers
Western Electric Model 500 & Rotary Dial and Handsets
Western Electric Model 500
Early Telephones
AE40 Monophone telephone 1940s, Automatic Electric Co.
AE40 Monophone telephone 1940s, Automatic Electric Co.
Strowger candlestick telephone 1907, Automatic Electric
Nickel-plated candlestick telephone c. 1898, Western Electric & San Francisco Potbelly candlestick telephone c. 1897
Nickel-plated candlestick telephone c. 1898, Western Electric & San Francisco Potbelly candlestick telephone c. 1897
Early Telephones
Model AE43 wall telephone 1950s, Automatic Electric Co.
Model AE50 Monophone “the Jukebox” wall telephone 1940s, Automatic Electric Co.
D Handset Mounting with Coils-It telephone attachment 1927/1938
9917 Masterphone “Tombstone” wall telephone 1920s
Kellogg Switchboard & Supply Company, Chicago
Art Deco Design
Art Deco Design
Candlestick Telephones and Covers
Art Deco Design
Rotary Dial and Handsets & Art Deco Design
Early Telephones
Early Telephones & Candlestick Telephones and Covers
Overview
Rotary Dial and Hand sets

From the SFO Museum FAQ:

Who produces the exhibitions?
SFO Museum’s staff of dedicated professionals are responsible for all aspects of exhibition production: curators who conceive exhibitions, select objects, and write gallery labels; registrars who arrange the objects’ transportation and supervise their care and handling while at our facilities; designers who create the visual layout for each exhibition; and preparators who produce custom mounts and furniture, and carefully install the art in galleries located throughout the Airport’s terminals.

Can I visit the galleries without a boarding pass?
Yes. SFO Museum operates more than twenty-five sites throughout the Airport terminals, including fourteen galleries that exhibit a rotating schedule of art, history, photography, science, and cultural exhibitions. Exhibitions and public art located beyond a security checkpoint can be viewed without a boarding pass by prior arrangement with SFO Museum. Please contact curator@flysfo.com for additional details and to schedule a visit. Please note: visits must take place during regular business hours (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm) and visits must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance.