Photograph of seven young men, "P. & A .Tel. Co. Bug Hunters" (RPPC)

Photograph approx. 3.5 x 5.5 inches, taped to the back of a double mat, 5 x 7 inches. ca. 1910-1920. Very Good with light surface soil. A goofy bunch of "bug hunters" (a nickname of unknown origin according to a 1913 Western Electric News article reporting the first known incidence of telephone line problems actually caused by bugs). Not exactly an occupational photo: four of the young men are pointing to a boy seated on the grass with his arms and legs folded a bit bug-like. Pittsburgh & Allegheny Telephone Company was acquired by Bell telephone in 1923. Phone companies formally employed troublemen, but the "hunt" had a competitive allure. Bug hunters were an enthusiastic contingent tasked with investigating problems for the telephone companies--the term is still used for people who seek errors and vulnerabilities in websites and apps.