Princess Phone (701, 702)
The introduction of the Princess phone in 1959 signalled a new marketing angle for Bell System and Western Electric. Until then, most households had only had a single telephone set, located in a lounge or hallway. The Princess phone changed that, as it was designed and marketed as a ‘beside’ phone, to be used as a second extension within the house.
As such it was styled in a softer fashion, to fit in with bedroom furnishings, and marketed much more towards women than any previous Western Electric phones.
Advice for collectors
Princess phones are available in a multitude of colours and are very widely sold and reproduced. The main distinction to make is between those with a rotary dial, and those with touch-tone diallers. Deciding between them is simply a matter of taste – serious collectors may want one of each, while others opt for their favourite.
