Henry Dreyfuss and Bell Telephones

Using insider sources from the Dreyfuss firm, hands-on examination of artifacts, and recently available digital resources, the authors dispel three myths about Henry Dreyfuss’s work for the Bell System, proving that (1) previously uncredited Bell System designer George Lum, not Dreyfuss, designed the Western Electric model 302, (2) an Ericsson phone did not inspire the 302 design, and (3) Dreyfuss did not use anthropometric measurements in his telephone work. The colorful and occasionally tensionfilled history of Dreyfuss and associates’ design of the 500, Princess, Trimline, and some Design Line phones clarifies human and technical aspects of his design process.