Computers & Business Machines

Apple II Personal Computer

Imagine the loss, 100 years from now, if museums hadn't begun preserving the artifacts of the computer age. The last few decades offer proof positive of why museums must collect continuously—to document technological and social transformations already underway.

The museum's collections contain mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers, and handheld devices. Computers range from the pioneering ENIAC to microcomputers like the Altair and the Apple I. A Cray2 supercomputer is part of the collections, along with one of the towers of IBM's Deep Blue, the computer that defeated reigning champion Garry Kasparov in a chess match in 1997. Computer components and peripherals, games, software, manuals, and other documents are part of the collections. Some of the instruments of business include adding machines, calculators, typewriters, dictating machines, fax machines, cash registers, and photocopiers

Resource Type: Typewriters

Victor Index Typewriter

This Victor index typewriter was manufactured by the Tilton Manufacturing Company of Boston, Massachusetts around 1889.
Description
This Victor index typewriter was manufactured by the Tilton Manufacturing Company of Boston, Massachusetts around 1889. The typewriter notably lacks a keyboard, and is called an “index” typewriter because you used your index finger to select the letters rather than striking a key. Bringing the selector over the character on the letter plate rotates the daisy wheel to the corresponding character. Pressing the inner left-hand key swung the hammer to strike the character, imprinting the type on the paper. The far left hand key served as the space bar. The daisy wheel used in this machines was such a brilliant design that it went on to be used in typewriters and printers in the 1970s and 1980s. The black metal body of the typewriter notes that the typewriter contains two patents, patented on August 13, 1889 and August 20, 1889. These corresponded to patent number 409128 and patent number 409289, patented by Charles E. Tilton and Arthur I. Jacobs, respectively. Jacobs assigned his patent to the Tilton Manufacturing Company while it was still located in Portland, Maine.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
ME.310347.02
catalog number
310347.02
accession number
117094

Keaton Music Typewriter

As typewriters developed during the 20th century, a class of music typewriters began to emerge. This is a Keaton Music Typewriter that was invented by Robert H. Keaton of San Francisco, California.
Description
As typewriters developed during the 20th century, a class of music typewriters began to emerge. This is a Keaton Music Typewriter that was invented by Robert H. Keaton of San Francisco, California. Keaton had two patents that covered his music typewriter, the first was given patent number 2,047,690 on July 14, 1936 and related to a 14 key music typewriter, and the second was given number 2,631,712 on March 17, 1953 and covered a 33 key music typewriter. The typewriter’s board held sheet music in place while a semicircle ring of keys containing notes and musical notation typebars could be maneuvered above the sheet music to create musical compositions.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Keaton Music Typewriter Company
ID Number
ME.330212
catalog number
330212
accession number
287938

Samuel W. Francis Writing Machine

This is a typewriter patented by Dr. Samuel Ward Francis of Newport, Rhode Island in 1857.
Description
This is a typewriter patented by Dr. Samuel Ward Francis of Newport, Rhode Island in 1857. The patent received number 18,504 and claimed the principal improvements of arranging the hammers in a circle, a common printing center, with a key operation similar in manner to that of a piano. The typewriter consists of a wooden box with attached mechanism for typing. The ivory keyboard is similar to a piano's and extends the length of the front, earning the writing machine the “Literary Piano” nickname.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1857
maker
Francis, Dr. Samuel Ward
ID Number
ME.180060
catalog number
180060
accession number
21102

Corona Typewriter

This is a Corona Special typewriter that was manufactured by the L. C. Smith Corona Company during the 1920s. The Corona Special came in a variety of different colors besides gold including lavender, light maroon, channel blue, mountain ash scarlet, cream, and bruce green.
Description
This is a Corona Special typewriter that was manufactured by the L. C. Smith Corona Company during the 1920s. The Corona Special came in a variety of different colors besides gold including lavender, light maroon, channel blue, mountain ash scarlet, cream, and bruce green. The typewriter had a three-row QWERTY keyboard, and the typewriter’s carriage could fold down onto the keyboard making it compact and portable.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920 - 1941
maker
L. C. Smith & Corona Typewriters Inc.
ID Number
ME.334780
catalog number
334780
accession number
314637
serial number
x646413

IBM Model C Electric Typewriter

This IBM Model C electric typewriter was manufactured by the IBM Company beginning in 1959.
Description
This IBM Model C electric typewriter was manufactured by the IBM Company beginning in 1959. The Model C Executive was an electric typewriter that included previous IBM innovations such as proportional letter spacing, cushioned carriage return, electric ribbon rewind, changeable typebars, and multiple copy control as well as new features such as a decelerator mechanism for noise reduction, a new touch control system, and a carbon ribbon feed to achieve book-style printing.
Originally founded in as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in 1911, IBM began its venture into typewriter manufacturing with the acquisition of the Electromatic Typewriter Company in 1933. In 1935 IBM produced its first electric typewriter, the Model 01, which IBM considered a commercial success. IBM continued producing typewriters throughout the 20th century until 1990.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1981.0109.01
catalog number
1981.0109.01
accession number
1981.0109

Corona No. 3 Typewriter

This is a Corona Three folding typewriter that was manufactured by the Corona Typewriter Company of Groton, New York around 1930. The Corona Three was an extremely popular typewriter, produced from 1912 until 1941. This model has serial number 650136, dating it to 1930.
Description
This is a Corona Three folding typewriter that was manufactured by the Corona Typewriter Company of Groton, New York around 1930. The Corona Three was an extremely popular typewriter, produced from 1912 until 1941. This model has serial number 650136, dating it to 1930. This typewriter’s platen and carriage can fold down to rest on the keyboard, allowing it to become compact and portable.
The success of the Standard Typewriter Company’s Corona Three model typewriter prompted the company to change its name to the Corona Typewriting Company in 1914. In 1926 the company joined with the L. C. Smith & Brothers Typewriting company in to become Smith-Corona. Smith-Corona manufactured typewriters and typewriter accessories throughout the 20th century, becoming Smith Corona Marchant in 1958. After two bankruptcies, Smith Corona returned to operation in 2010 as a thermal paper manufacturing company.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1924 - 1926
maker
L. C. Smith & Corona Typewriters Inc.
ID Number
ME.330702
catalog number
330702
accession number
296465
serial number
x650136

Hall Index Typewriter

Thomas Hall was awarded patent number 238,387 on March 1, 1881 for his “Type-Writer” design represented in this typewriter. The Hall Typewriter was manufactured by the Hall Typewriter Company of New York, New York, beginning in 1881.
Description
Thomas Hall was awarded patent number 238,387 on March 1, 1881 for his “Type-Writer” design represented in this typewriter. The Hall Typewriter was manufactured by the Hall Typewriter Company of New York, New York, beginning in 1881. The company moved from New York to Salem in 1887, then Boston in 1889, producing a similar model typewriter in all three locations. This Salem variant of the Hall index typewriter began to be produced in 1887. Index typewriters have no keyboard—the characters are selected by a pointer system. In the Hall index typewriter each hole on the grid corresponds to a character, pushing the key through the hole imprints the letter on the page and shifts the page over one space. This typewriter is contained in a wooden carrying case, with a metal handle and a metal plaque that bears the image of a feather with the inscription “HALL TYPE WRITER Co./TRADEMARK/SALEM, MASS.”
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Hall Typewriter Co.
ID Number
ME.314603
catalog number
314603
accession number
205421

IBM Electromatic

This electric typewriter was manufactured by the International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation around 1935. IBM purchased Electromatic Typewriters, Inc. in 1933, taking over its Rochester, New York factory.
Description
This electric typewriter was manufactured by the International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation around 1935. IBM purchased Electromatic Typewriters, Inc. in 1933, taking over its Rochester, New York factory. After a variety of improvements IBM issued the IBM Electric Typewriter Model 01 in 1935. The innovation of electric typewriters was that each type bar hit the paper with the same force, and that force was more powerful than manual typewriters. This was especially useful in business situations as multiple carbon copies could be produced. IBM continued producing typewriters, including the very popular Selectric model, throughout the 20th century until 1990.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1948
ca 1948
maker
International Business Machines Corp.
ID Number
ME.336753
catalog number
336753
accession number
1978.2227
serial number
156065

Remington Portable Typewriter

This Remington No. 1 portable typewriter was manufactured by the Remington Typewriter Company in 1923.
Description
This Remington No. 1 portable typewriter was manufactured by the Remington Typewriter Company in 1923. The Remington portable was first introduced in 1920, this machine bears the serial number NP-35788, dating it to January of 1923 and it was machine number 5,788 made in January of 1923. The Remington Portable had a gear-locking typebar mechanism, a red and black typewriter ribbon, and a four-row QWERTY keyboard.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920 - 1929
ID Number
ME.333746
catalog number
333746
accession number
303153
serial number
NP35788

IBM Electromatic Typewriter

This Electromatic brand typewriter was manufactured by the International Business Machines Corporation beginning in 1935. The Electromatic typewriter was first manufactured in 1924 by the North East Electric Company.
Description
This Electromatic brand typewriter was manufactured by the International Business Machines Corporation beginning in 1935. The Electromatic typewriter was first manufactured in 1924 by the North East Electric Company. The North East Electric Company produced the motor and base, and used a Remington model 12 as the typewriter. The North East Electric Company became the Electromatic Typewriter Company before being purchased by IBM in 1933. In 1935 IBM produced the Electromatic Model 01 for the first time. The Electromatic operated with a motor controlling all aspects of typing, from the type bar to the carriage returns, allowing the user to operate the typewriter without their fingers ever leaving the keyboard.
This typewriter bears a label from the Rossford Ordnance Depot, a depot in Toledo, Ohio that was used to supply the military with jeeps and cars during World War II.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1941 - 1945
maker
International Business Machines Corp.
ID Number
ME.325366
catalog number
325366
accession number
254085
serial number
11293060

Hammond Multiplex Typewriter

This Hammond Multiplex typewriter was manufactured by the Hammond Typewriter Company of New York during the 1920s.
Description
This Hammond Multiplex typewriter was manufactured by the Hammond Typewriter Company of New York during the 1920s. The typewriter uses Hammond’s patented type-shuttle and hammer typing mechanism where the printing is done by a hammer in the back of the machine striking a type-carrying shuttle in the center of the machine, with the paper and ink ribbon in between to receive the impression. This Hammond Multiplex contains two additional Hammond innovations. It is called a Multiplex because the typewriter contains two type shuttles that can easily be rotated into use, allowing the typing of two complete alphabets in different typesets on each machine. This Hammond had keystrokes and carriage returns powered by a General Electric motor.
James Bartlett Hammond filed patents for his type-shuttle and hammer typing mechanism present in Hammond typewriters in 1879, receiving patent number 224088 on February 3rd, 1880 and patent number 232402 September 21st, 1880. The Hammond Typewriter Company was founded in 1880, and produced its first machine by 1884, winning a gold medal at the New Orleans Centennial Exposition that same year. The Hammond Typewriter touted its superior strength and durability due to its unique type-shuttle and hammer typing mechanism. The replaceable type-shuttle also contributed to the Hammond’s popularity with the ability to print in a variety of typesets in various sizes, including math formulae, special symbols, and foreign characters with an easy replacement of the type shuttle, or an even simpler rotation of a wheel in the Hammond Multiplex.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
ME.322887
catalog number
322887
accession number
249411
serial number
239265

Franklin Typewriter

This Franklin typewriter was manufactured by the Franklin Typewriter Company of New York, New York around 1898. The design for the Franklin typewriter was patented by Wellington P. Kidder, receiving patent number 464,504 on December 8, 1891.
Description
This Franklin typewriter was manufactured by the Franklin Typewriter Company of New York, New York around 1898. The design for the Franklin typewriter was patented by Wellington P. Kidder, receiving patent number 464,504 on December 8, 1891. The main feature of the Franklin typewriter was a series of radial type-bars that carried a plurality of types. The curved Franklin keyboard remains one of its most distinctive features.
The Tilton Manufacturing Company of Boston, Massachusetts was originally assigned patents to both the Victor Index Typewriter (invented by Arthur Jacobs in 1889) and the Franklin typewriter (invented by Wellington Kidder in 1891). Eventually, both these typewriters were sold by their own companies, with Victor staying in Boston and the Franklin Typewriter Company moving to New York. The Franklin Typewriter Company began producing Franklin Typewriters in 1892, releasing numerous models before the company went bankrupt in 1904. This typewriter is similar in style to models 7 and 8, produced from 1898 until 1904.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1898
maker
Franklin Manufacturing Company
ID Number
ME.318462
catalog number
318462
accession number
235473

Densmore No. 5 Typewriter

This Densmore No. 5 typewriter was made by the Densmore Typewriter Company of New York, New York beginning in 1907. The Densmore No. 5 is an upstriking machine with its keyboard in a three row QWERTY layout with a fourth top row of numbers.
Description
This Densmore No. 5 typewriter was made by the Densmore Typewriter Company of New York, New York beginning in 1907. The Densmore No. 5 is an upstriking machine with its keyboard in a three row QWERTY layout with a fourth top row of numbers. The advertising for Densmore mahcines claimed that its use of ball bearings in the type-bar joints led to its consistent alignment, light touch, and durability.
The Densmore name is associated with typewriter history in its earliest stages. James Densmore invested in the Sholes & Glidden typewriter, one of the first commercially produced typewriters, and eventually sold his controlling interest to E. Remington & Sons who continued to produce typewriters into the 20th century. Densmore’s brothers, Amos and Emmett, produced typewriters under the Densmore brand name, working with typewriter designers Franz Wagner and Walter Barron who made significant contributions to Densmore machines.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1907
maker
Densmore Typewriter Company
ID Number
ME.315052
catalog number
315052
accession number
214853

Remington Standard No. 6 Typewriter

The Remington Standard Number 6 typewriter was manufactured by the Standard Typewriter Company around 1894.
Description
The Remington Standard Number 6 typewriter was manufactured by the Standard Typewriter Company around 1894. The Remington Standard Typewriter is a descendant of the Sholes & Glidden typewriter, most notably in its use of the type-bar basket, its upstriking action, and the three row QWERTY keyboard with a fourth top row of numerals.
The first commercially successful typewriter was designed by Christopher Sholes and Carlos Glidden and manufactured by gunmakers E. Remington and Sons in 1874 in Ilion, New York. The typewriters manufactured by E. Remington and Sons had been sold by the company Wyckoff, Seamans & Benedict since 1882. In 1886 E. Remington and Sons sold the entirety of their typewriter interests to Wyckoff, Seamans & Benedict. Wyckoff, Seamans & Benedict manufactured their typewriters under the Remington Standard Typewriter Company name beginning in 1892. The company became the Remington Typewriter Company in 1902, before merging with the Rand Kardex Company in 1927 to become Remington Rand. Remington Rand continued to sell typewriters until around 1955, when it was acquired by the Sperry Corporation.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Wyckoff, Seamans & Benedict
ID Number
ME.323598
catalog number
323598
accession number
250163
serial number
148718

Beach's Typewriter Patent Model

This typewriter patent model was used by Alfred Ely Beach of Stratford, Connecticut in his patent application that received patent number 15,164 on June 24, 1856.
Description
This typewriter patent model was used by Alfred Ely Beach of Stratford, Connecticut in his patent application that received patent number 15,164 on June 24, 1856. Beach’s patent was titled an “Improvement in Printing-Instruments for the Blind,” as the typewriter was meant to leave a raised letter on the paper, rather than an inked character. The machine could be modified to also print black letters with the addition of an ink belt. The typewriter printed on a single line on a slip of paper similar to ticker tape, with each typebar striking at a common center. The mother-of-pearl keys are arranged in three rows, with capital and lowercase letters each having separated keys. The typebars are contained in the veneered wooden box. The circular type basket is decorated with gilt-cast leaves.
Alfred Ely Beach was an inventor and publisher in New York during the mid -19th century. Along with his business partners Orson D. Munn and Salem H. Wales, Beach purchased Scientific American magazine in 1846. In 1847 Beach produced a precursor to this machine, which was eventually patented in 1856. This typewriter was never commercially produced. Beach is more commonly remembered as the inventor of New York City’s first subway, Beach’s Pneumatic Transit. Beach built a 300-foot prototype pneumatic powered subway in 1870 that was never expanded due to political roadblocks.
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1856
maker
Beach, Alfred E.
Kirchof, C.
ID Number
ME.312878
catalog number
312878
accession number
163196

Draper Typewriter

This Draper typewriter was manufactured by the Chicago Writing Machine Company of Chicago, Illinois around 1906. The Draper was a re-named Chicago Typewriter that was sold from the Sears Roebuck mail-order catalog for $18.72.
Description
This Draper typewriter was manufactured by the Chicago Writing Machine Company of Chicago, Illinois around 1906. The Draper was a re-named Chicago Typewriter that was sold from the Sears Roebuck mail-order catalog for $18.72. The Chicago was a revamped Munson Typewriter, originally invented by Samuel J. Seifried under patent number 474,350 in May 3rd, 1892 and assigned to the Munson Type Writer Company. The Chicago/Munson had a steel typesleeve similar to the Crandall, except that the characters were arranged horizontally on the sleeve rather than vertically. The keyboard is also interesting in that it is a “WERTY” keyboard. The “Q” key has been moved to be next to the “Z.”
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Chicago Writing Machine Company
ID Number
ME.334781
catalog number
334781
accession number
314637
serial number
0445750

Remington Portable Typewriter

This Remington Portable No. 1 typewriter was manufactured by the Remington Typewriter Company in 1921.
Description
This Remington Portable No. 1 typewriter was manufactured by the Remington Typewriter Company in 1921. The Remington portable was first introduced in 1920, this machine bears the serial number NM-11150, dating it to February of 1921 and it was machine number 1,150 made in February of 1921. The Remington Portable had a gear-locking typebar mechanism, a red and black typewriter ribbon, and a four-row QWERTY keyboard.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
ME.334779
catalog number
334779
accession number
314637
serial number
NM 11150

Blickensderfer No. 5 Typewriter

This Blickensderfer Moderl number 5 typewriter was manufactured by the Blickensderfer Manufacturing Compmany of Stamford, Connecticut between 1893 and 1896.
Description
This Blickensderfer Moderl number 5 typewriter was manufactured by the Blickensderfer Manufacturing Compmany of Stamford, Connecticut between 1893 and 1896. The Blickensderfer was advertised as having one quarter of the parts that other typewriters used, allowing for easier operation, maintenance, and repair. Other features include a tabulator and a scaled with slots for carriage stops. Blickensderfer typewriters also had a patented type action using their patented “type wheel,” a metal wheel containing all the characters which would rotate and strike the paper to create the inked mark. The type wheel allowed for easier type alignment, less jamming, and an easier way to change type fonts. The simplicity of the Blickensderfer made it portable, and this model had a wooden cover with a leather handle for easy carrying. While QWERTY keyboards could be ordered, by default most Blickensderfer typewriters eschewed the QWERTY keyboard in favor of a “Scientific” keyboard that put the most used letters “D, H, I, A, T, E, N, S, O, and R” on the bottom row nearest the space bar to minimize hand movement.
George C. Blickensderfer founded the Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company in Stamford, Connecticut in 1893. The Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company produced nine different models of typewriters, including an electric typewriter, and operated until George Blickenderfer’s death in 1917. The company was reformed as the Blick Typewriter Company for a few years before the Blickensderfer patents and designs were sold and manufactured by a variety of different companies.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1894 - 1897
maker
Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company
ID Number
ME.334777
catalog number
334777
accession number
314637

Williams Typewriter

The Williams typewriter was produced by the Williams Typewriter Company from around 1891 until 1909, mostly from a factory located in Derby, Connecticut. John N. Williams received patent number 501753 on July 18, 1893 for his type-writing machine.
Description
The Williams typewriter was produced by the Williams Typewriter Company from around 1891 until 1909, mostly from a factory located in Derby, Connecticut. John N. Williams received patent number 501753 on July 18, 1893 for his type-writing machine. Williams’s design served to correct the inability of a typists writing to be seen in the prevalent “upstriking machines” such as the Remington Standard. Williams’s solution was an innovative keystroke, where the key sat on an inking pad and raised itself up before springing forward to type on the paper. This innovative action wouldn’t allow for all the keys to be on the front of the machine, so there were typebars at the front and back of most William’s machines. This necessitated the upper part of the paper being pulled down into a basket below the type bars after it had been typed on, allowing only a few lines to be seen.
This machine does not fit the standard Williams design of front and back typebars, and does not have any visible branding. During the early 20th century, Williams was trying to design a typewriter with a full front typebar. A number of patents by Jerome B. Secor of Derby, Connecticut, were assigned to Williams during this period, many relating to “front-strike” machines. Secor later bought the Derby factory from Williams and produced several typewriter models, until the factory was purchased by Maxim Munitions Corporation in 1915. This may have been an early Williams front strike prototype.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Williams Manufacturing Company
ID Number
ME.310896
catalog number
310896
accession number
131831

Remington Electric Typewriter

This Remington Electric typewriter was manufactured by the Remington Rand Corporation around 1949.
Description
This Remington Electric typewriter was manufactured by the Remington Rand Corporation around 1949. This Remington had electric-powered typebars and carriage movement as well as many manual switches for tab clearing and setting and ribbon movment.
Remington produced the first commercially successful Sholes & Glidden typewriter in 1874, and continued to produce a variety of typewriters during the 20th century before focusing its attention on the UNIVAC computer during the 1950s.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Remington Rand Inc.
ID Number
ME.333709
catalog number
333709
accession number
302053
serial number
2307418

Fox Portable No. 1 Typewriter

The Portable No. 1 typewriter (also known as the Baby Fox) was produced by the Fox Typewriter Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan beginning in 1917. The typewriter carriage collapsed behind the body of the typewriter, becoming flat and easily portable.
Description
The Portable No. 1 typewriter (also known as the Baby Fox) was produced by the Fox Typewriter Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan beginning in 1917. The typewriter carriage collapsed behind the body of the typewriter, becoming flat and easily portable. The QWERTY keyboard has glass topped keys with a wooden space bar.
The Fox Typewriter Company was founded in 1902 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The company originally produced blind upstriking typewriters before producing a visible typewriter in 1906. World War I created a lack of materials that led many typewriter companies to cease manufacture during this time. The President of the Fox Typewriter Company, William R. Fox, returned to the Fox Machine Company in 1915, but a new Fox Typewriter Company was founded later in the year, buying the company’s patents and factory. The new Fox Typewriter Company produced the Fox portable in 1917 before declaring bankruptcy in 1921.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1917
ID Number
1985.0653.01
accession number
1985.0653
catalog number
1985.0653.01
accession number
1985.0653

Hammond Multiplex Typewriter

This Hammond Multiplex typewriter was manufactured by the Hammond Typewriter Company of New York beginning in 1913. The typewriter uses Hammond’s patented type-shuttle and hammer typing mechanism.
Description
This Hammond Multiplex typewriter was manufactured by the Hammond Typewriter Company of New York beginning in 1913. The typewriter uses Hammond’s patented type-shuttle and hammer typing mechanism. The type shuttle is a curved piece of rubber/metal that rotates when the key is pressed to bring up the correct character. The printing is done by a hammer in the back of the machine striking the type-shuttle in the front of the machine, with the paper and ink ribbon in between to receive the impression. The typewriter is called a Multiplex because the typewriter contains two type shuttles in its central “turret” that can easily be rotated into use, allowing the typing of two complete alphabets in different typesets on each machine. The keyboard is in a three row QWERTY array.
James Bartlett Hammond filed patents for his type-shuttle and hammer typing mechanism present in Hammond typewriters in 1879, receiving patent number 224088 on February 3rd, 1880 and patent number 232402 September 21st, 1880. The Hammond Typewriter Company was founded in 1880, and produced its first machine by 1884, winning a gold medal at the New Orleans Centennial Exposition that same year. The Hammond Typewriter touted its superior strength and durability due to its unique type-shuttle and hammer typing mechanism. The replaceable type-shuttle also contributed to the Hammond’s popularity with the ability to print in a variety of typesets in various sizes, including math formulae, special symbols, and foreign characters with an easy replacement of the type shuttle, or an even simpler rotation of a wheel in the Hammond Multiplex.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Hammond Typewriter Company
ID Number
ME.315099
catalog number
315099
accession number
215861

Woodstock "Electrite" Typewriter

This Woodstock Electrite electric typewriter was manufactured by the Woodstock Typewriter Company of Chicago, Illinois around 1925.
Description
This Woodstock Electrite electric typewriter was manufactured by the Woodstock Typewriter Company of Chicago, Illinois around 1925. The Electrite was advertised as a typewriter that made “all typists experts.” The Electrite’s electric motor powered the strike mechanism and space bar, so that each key hit the paper with the same amount of force every time, resulting in uniform letters. In manual typewriters, a soft touch or mistype could result in printed text that was faint or hard to read.
Like many typewriting companies, the Woodstock Typewriter Company went through several different corporate iterations. The Emerson Typewriter Company of Kittery, Maine began business in 1907, before it was purchased by the Sears, Roebuck, & Company of Chicago in 1910. Sears, Roebuck, & Company opened their typewriting company as the Roebuck Typewriter Company in Woodstock, Illinois, but soon sold their concern to the Woodstock Typewriter Company in 1914. The Woodstock Typewriter Company operated until 1950, when it was bought by R.C. Allen Business Machines.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1982.0201.03
accession number
1982.0201
catalog number
1982.0201.03

Victor Index Typewriter

This Victor index typewriter was manufactured by the Tilton Manufacturing Company of Boston, Massachusetts around 1889. The typewriter lacks a keyboard, and is called an “index” typewriter because you used your index finger to select the letters.
Description
This Victor index typewriter was manufactured by the Tilton Manufacturing Company of Boston, Massachusetts around 1889. The typewriter lacks a keyboard, and is called an “index” typewriter because you used your index finger to select the letters. Bringing the selector over the character on the letter plate rotates the daisy wheel to the corresponding character. Pressing the inner left-hand key swung the hammer to strike the character, imprinting the type on the paper. The far left hand key served as the space bar. The daisy wheel went on to be used in typewriters and printers in the 1970s and 1980s. The black metal body of the typewriter notes that the typewriter contains two patents, patented on August 13, 1889 and August 20, 1889. These corresponded to patent number 409128 and patent number 409289, patented by Charles E. Tilton and Arthur I. Jacobs, respectively. Jacobs assigned his patent to the Tilton Manufacturing Company while it was still located in Portland, Maine. The typewriter is contained in a wooden carrying case.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
ME.313694
catalog number
313694
accession number
192508

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