A short video of the Mignon 2 working.
Despite its unusual appearance, the Mignon typewriter embodied a very clever design that facilitated a smooth and fast operation for a typewriter with no keyboard. One’s thumb and forefinger pinch the black button to move the pointer to a character. This moves the type cylinder into position over the platen before the black key in front is pushed down to type. The other black key gives a space.
The index plate and the type cylinder could be changed with ease, allowing for different languages and fonts. The Mignon was popular for three decades and was produced into the early thirties.
