Computers & Business Machines
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
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Victor Index Typewriter
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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New Franklin Typewriter
- Description
- This New Franklin typewriter was manufactured by the Franklin Typewriter Company of New York, New York around 1904. 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 is its series of radial type bars that carry multiple typefaces. 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 the Victor Typewriter Company 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. The Victor Typewriter Company of Boston absorbed the interests of the Franklin Typewriter Company in 1907 and moved into its New York factory and offices at 812 and 814 Greenwich Street, producing its new visible frontstriking typewriter Victor No.1 that same year.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1904
- maker
- Franklin Typewriter Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- 1981.0107.01
- accession number
- 1981.0107
- catalog number
- 1981.0107.01
- 81.0107.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Samuel W. Francis Writing Machine
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Sholes & Gildden Type Writer
- Description
- Remington put its writing machines on the market in 1874 at a price of $125. The new Type Writer owed some of its identity to the sewing machines that Remington had recently added to its product line. The writing machine came mounted on a sewing machine stand, with a treadle to operate the carriage return and advance the paper on the platen. Even the Type Writer's shiny black case, elaborately decorated with floral designs and emblems, resembled the factory's sewing machines.
- This machine is Remington's first model. With it, a writer could type only capital letters. A second model, available in 1878, permitted writing in both upper and lower case. From the beginning, the keyboard was arranged in the enduring QWERTY pattern. The designers adopted the layout to prevent the mechanical type bars, arranged in a circle inside the machine, from clashing in operation.
- Although the Remington-made Type Writer was not the first mechanical writing machine, it was the earliest to have commercial success. At first Type Writers sold poorly, although author Mark Twain bought one immediately and described his "new fangled writing machine" in a letter to his brother. Gradually, Remington had success in creating a market for the machines and even spurred competitors to make their own versions. The modern typewriter industry was born.
- The introduction and spread of the typewriter accompanied a revolution in the business world. The last twenty-five years of the 19th century witnessed the growth of corporations and the reinvention of the business office. Mechanized work in the office replaced hand work, as specialized machines of all sorts speeded up paper transactions. New designs for furniture specific to the office appeared. The physical appearance of the office building, the composition of the work force, and the very organization of work itself changed. In opening acceptable— but low-level—white-collar work for women, the typewriter became an agent of social change.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1874 - 1878
- patentee
- Sholes, C. Latham
- Glidden, Carlos
- maker
- E. Remington & Sons
- ID Number
- ME.276068
- catalog number
- 276068
- accession number
- 54877
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Victor Index Typewriter
- 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.310347.01
- catalog number
- 310347.01
- accession number
- 117094
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Beach's Typewriter Patent Model
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Victor Index Typewriter
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Hall Index Typewriter
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Hammond Folding Multiplex Typewriter
- Description (Brief)
- One (1) Hammond Folding Multiplex typewriter
- New York, New York, about 1923
- Description: Aluminum frame with keys arranged to fold. Contained in a case. Standard keyboard. Complete with four sets of type.
- Description
- This Hammond Folding Multiplex typewriter was manufactured by the Hammond Typewriter Company of New York beginning in 1923. 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 front of the machine, with the paper and ink ribbon in between to receive the impression. This Hammond Folding 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 typewriter’s keyboard could also fold up to allow a cover to be attached to the base, allowing the typewriter to be carried. 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
- date made
- 1923
- maker
- Hammond Typewriter Company
- ID Number
- ME.315035
- catalog number
- 315035
- accession number
- 213958
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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World Typewriter
- Description
- This World Typewriter was manufactured by the World Type Writer Company of Portland, Maine, between 1887 and 1893. The machine was invented by John Becker, and received patent number 350,717 on October 12th, 1886. The World was an index typewriter, meaning that the letters could be selected with the pointer, manipulated by the index finger, and imprinted with another key. The absence of the keyboard made the typewriter simpler to operate, but sacrificed speed and efficiency.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- ME.316725
- catalog number
- 316725
- accession number
- 227587
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Champion Index Typewriter
- Description
- The Champion typewriter was manufactured by the Champion Typewriter Company of New York, New York during the 1890s. The Champion was invented by Byron Alden Brooks, and succeeded his People’s model typewriter that he invented in 1889. Brook’s invention can be seen in patent number 476,942 granted in June 14, 1892. Both the People’s and the Champion were index typewriters, meaning that the letters were selected with a pointer, manipulated by the index finger, and imprinted with another key. The absence of the keyboard made the typewriter simpler to operate, but sacrificed speed and efficiency.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1891
- maker
- Garvin Machine Co.
- ID Number
- ME.318166
- catalog number
- 318166
- accession number
- 229771
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Franklin Typewriter
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Blickensderfer No. 8 Typewriter
- Description
- The Blickensderfer Model 8 typewriter was manufactured by the Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company of Stamford, Connecticut beginning in 1908. The appeal of the Blickensderfer was its simplified mechanical operation. The Blickensderfer was advertised as having one quarter of the parts that other typewriters used, allowing for easier operation, maintenance, and repair. Blickensderfers used their patented “type wheel,” a metal wheel containing all the characters, which would rotate and strike the paper. The type wheel allowed for easier type alignment, less jamming, and an easy way to change type fonts. The simplicity of the Blickensderfer allowed it to be portable, and this model has 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, and in the following years the Blickensderfer patents and designs were manufactured by a variety of different companies.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1890 - 1895
- maker
- Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- ME.319568
- catalog number
- 319568
- accession number
- 238761
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Columbia No. 2 Typewriter
- Description
- This Columbia No. 2 typewriter was manufactured by the Columbia Typewriter Company of New York after 1886. The typewriter was invented by Charles Spiro, and covered by patent number 322,989 and 335,392. The Columbia typewriter was an index typewriter, meaning that the letters were selected with a pointer, manipulated by the index finger, and imprinted by pressing another key. The absence of the keyboard made the typewriter simpler to operate, but sacrificed speed and efficiency. The machine also had variable spacing, allowing each letter to take up a varying amount of space, for instance, an “I” take up less space than an “M.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1890
- maker
- Columbia Typewriter Co.
- ID Number
- ME.326233
- catalog number
- 326233
- accession number
- 257824
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Keaton Music Typewriter
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Hammond Multiplex Typewriter
- Description
- This Hammond Folding Multiplex typewriter was manufactured by the Hammond Typewriter Company of New York beginning in 1923. 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 front of the machine, with the paper and ink ribbon in between to receive the impression. This Hammond Folding 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 typewriter’s keyboard could also fold up to allow a cover to be attached to the base, allowing the typewriter to be carried. 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
- date made
- 1921 - 1929
- maker
- Hammond Typewriter Company
- ID Number
- ME.334775
- catalog number
- 334775
- accession number
- 314637
- serial number
- F234590
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Blickensderfer No. 5 Typewriter
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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“Double Pigeon” Model DHY Typewriter
- Description
- This is a “Double Pigeon” Model DHY typewriter that was manufactured by the Shanghai Calculator and Typewriter Manufacturing Works of Shanghai, China around 1974. The typewriter is made to print Chinese characters. The character is selected, inked, and printed by the machine, in a somewhat tedious process due to the 2,500 characters available and the fact that each typist could change the organization of the type tray to fit their writing style, varying the organization from machine to machine. Other character sets can be placed in the machine, allowing it to print over 7,000 unique characters. The typewriter was acquired to be displayed in the bicentennial exhibit "A Nation of Nations."
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1974-1975
- maker
- Shanghai Calculator & Typewriter Manufacturing Works
- ID Number
- ME.334953
- catalog number
- 334953
- accession number
- 320831
- serial number
- 717967
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
