The State speaks louder

the telephone in Belo Horizonte, 1894-1912

Abstract

This paper investigates the telephone system’s implantation in the new capital of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, a city associated with progress and development. Technology is approached as a social construction, emphasizing a user-centered view. The timeframe covers the period from the installation of the first telephones in 1894, with the city still under construction, up to the installed system´s lease to a private company in 1912. During this time, local government operated the telephone system, conditioning the way that artifact was incorporated into urban life. Documental basis is varied, including administrative reports produced by city mayors, municipal and state law collections, local press (newspaper and magazines), memories and historical works.