notable typewriters

These typewriters from the collection each hold a place in history with their notable design features.

Click on a typewriter to enlarge the image, or click on the title to view the full page on the website.

Photograph of the Stenograph 1a.

            Stenograph           

First machine for typing shorthand – 1879

Photograph of the Hammonia typewriter.

Hammonia

First European typewriter – 1884

Picture of the Hall 1 typewriter.

Hall 1

First index typewriter (no keyboard) and the world’s first portable – 1881

Crandall-1- notable

Crandall 1

First typewriter to use a single type element instead of type bars – 1883

Front view of the Columbia 1 typewriter.

Columbia 1

One of the first typewriters to have proportional spacing – 1885

Photograph of the Victor typewriter.

Victor

First typewriter to use a daisy wheel – 1889

Photograph of the McLoughlin Brothers typewriter.

McLoughlin Brothers

One of the first typewriters to be marketed for children as well as adults – 1890

Straight on view of the Blickensderfer 5 typewriter.

Blickensderfer 5

First portable, keyboard, typewriter – 1893

Daugherty-notable

Daugherty

First typewriter with the three design elements that would define the modern typewriter – 1894

Ford-notable

Ford

First typewriter to use the new metal, aluminum, in its construction – 1895

Photograph of the Underwood 1 typewriter.

Underwood 1

The typewriter that set the standard for the 20th century – 1896

Photograph of the Hall 1 Braille writer.

Hall Braille-writer 1

First successful mechanical point writer for the blind – 1892

Full view of the Rapid typewriter.

Rapid

First typewriter to have the lateral thrust type bar design – 1890

Front view of the Diskret Typewriter.

Diskret

This intriguing typewriter was able to type a cyphered message by offsetting one of two concentric index discs – 1899