In 1898 German bicycle-maker Adlerwerke bought a license to produce and sell the Wellington typewriter under it’s Canadian brand-name, Empire. Not content to just sell licensed typewriters, the company started designing and producing it’s own machines, bringing out the Adler No. 7 in 1900. Adler continued production of typewriters until 1995, when Italian typewriter-maker Olivetti [...]
A 1940s Smith-Corona portable:
From Secret Lentil on Flickr.
Extra (wicked) bonus: Tattoo of said typewriter, on photographer/owner’s arm:
Not sure the model number, but here is a beautiful Blickensderfer, designed by George C. Blickensderfer, of Connecticut. His typewriters were much smaller and lighter than other typewriters, made of 250 parts compared with 2,500 for standard models. He also used the DHIATENSOR keyboard layout (not QWERTY) to avoid typebar jamming. Blickensderfer made the [...]
Olivetti Underwood Lettera 32, from m.bibelot on Flickr:
The Remington 2, circa 1888. More info from Chuck & Rich’s Antique Typewriter website and museum:
The Masspro, circa 1932. More info from the Chestnut Ridge Typewriter Museum:
The Olympia SM-3 De Luxe (circa 1958), more info at Mr. Martin’s Typewriter Museum:
The Triumph Tippa S typewriter, circa 1969 (more info) from boesgaard on Flickr:
Can you imagine how good your novel would be if you wrote it on one of these? It’s a Hammond Multiplex Open Universal (circa 1915):
Found on Mr. Martin’s Virtual Typewriter Museum.
I’m a bit of a typewriter fetishist, and if you’re in Turin, you should pop in to see the Olivetti exhibit at the World City of Design:
2008 will mark the centenary of Olivetti’s foundation, and the company’s history not only mirrors the vicissitudes of industrialization, it is also emblematic of the rise and fall of [...]
