The concept of the videophone has captured the public imagination ever since the telephone was developed. In 1876, shortly after the telephone was patented in the United States by Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, an imaginary device called the telephonoscope was dreamed up in magazines. In 1891, Dr. Bell made conceptual notes about the idea, which he called the "electrical radiophone." According to the New York Times, he later remarked that
"...the day would come when the man at the telephone would be able to see the distant person to whom he was speaking."
While limited versions of the concept were developed from the 1930s on, in popular culture, the device remained a series of commercially unsuccessful prototypes and a futuristic means of communication used in film and television for many years to come.
Learn more and see a treasure trove of vintage images in this article. -Via The Presurfer