The Kosmopolit (Cosmopolitan) is a sophisticated, beautifully engineered linear index typewriter introduced in 1888 by sewing machine manufacturer Guhl & Harbeck of Hamburg. It succeeded their first typewriter, the Hammonia (1884), Europe’s first commercially successful typewriter.
Unlike machines designed for speed, the Kosmopolit focused on producing high-quality, print-like writing. It achieved precise alignment through an impressive curved segment comb and typed directly onto paper using an ink pad. Its versatility stemmed from thirteen interchangeable rubber index plates (six were provided with a new machine) that were easily swapped by loosening a single screw. These plates allowed users to change fonts and type in different languages by pairing the plate with a corresponding paper index. Seen below is the rubber index plate from this typewriter. After 140 years, the rubber is usually missing from this part but remarkably it is still present.
Typing required swinging the black knob on the long lever to select a character, then pressing it down into the segment comb. Switching between cases and characters involved moving the lever forward or backward to align the second row of rubber characters and adjusting the paper index, which displayed one row of characters at a time.
The Kosmopolit was Guhl & Harbeck’s final typewriter. The company later produced the well-crafted Jupiter pencil sharpeners. While the Kosmopolit was exported across Europe, it found limited success, with advertising ceasing by 1903.
