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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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
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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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Blickensderfer No. 6 Portable Typewriter
- Description
- The Blickensderfer typewriter No. 6 was manufactured by the Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company of Stamford, Connecticut from 1910 to around 1928. The Blickenderfer No. 6 was essentially the Blickensderfer No. 5 in an aluminum frame, and could be ordered with either a standard QWERTY keyboard or a DHIATENSOR keyboard. This model has the DHIATENSOR keyboard, which Blickensderfer called their “scientific” keyboard because the most used letters—“D, H, I, A, T, E, N, S, O, and R”—were on the bottom row nearest the space bar to minimize necessary hand movement. The aluminum frame of the No. 6 made it exceptionally portable, weighing only 5 pounds, and came in a leatherette case for easy carrying.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1895
- maker
- Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- ME.310701.A
- catalog number
- 310701.A
- accession number
- 125450
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
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. 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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Blickensderfer No. 6 Portable Typewriter
- Description
- This is the case for the Blickensder No. 6 typewriter. The Blickensderfer typewriter No. 6 was manufactured by the Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company of Stamford, Connecticut from 1910 to around 1928. The Blickenderfer No. 6 was essentially the Blickensderfer No. 5 in an aluminum frame, and could be ordered with either a standard QWERTY keyboard or a DHIATENSOR keyboard. Blickensderfer called the latter their “scientific” keyboard because the most used letters—“D, H, I, A, T, E, N, S, O, and R”—were on the bottom row nearest the space bar to minimize necessary hand movement. The aluminum frame of the No. 6 made it exceptionally portable, weighing only 5 pounds, and came in a leatherette case for easy carrying, seen here.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1900
- 1895
- maker
- Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company
- ID Number
- ME.310701.B
- catalog number
- 310701.B
- accession number
- 125450
- 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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Underwood Typewriter Key Action
- Description
- This model of an Underwood Typewriter Company typewriter key demonstrates the key and type bar action in Underwood Typewriters.
- The Underwood Company began its history as John Underwood & Company, a manufacturer of ink ribbon and carbon paper for typewriters, often supplying the Remington Typewriter Company with its ribbons. Once Remington began manufacturing its own ribbons, Underwood began producing its own typewriters as the Underwood Typewriting Company in 1895. Underwood continued manufacturing typewriters during the 20th century, also manufacturing carbines for the United States war effort during World War II.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1897
- ID Number
- ME.312110
- catalog number
- 312110
- accession number
- 161692
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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