Early Typewriters - Gateway to the Information Age

By: Martin Howard

The keyboard provides an essential means for one to communicate and is used by more people today then ever before. Keyboards are arguably one of the most important tools in the world, a tool that represents our personal communication in this technological age. The keyboard truly connects the planet. But what did the first keyboards and typewriters look like and how did they evolve?

Typewriters from the 1930s and 40s all look pretty much the same, they "look like a typewriter". With four rows of straight keys, single shift and front strike visible (type-bars hit the front of the roller allowing one to see what they have just typed).

Typewriters have not always looked like this though. Just imagine if you, never having seen a typing machine, were asked to design one. How might it look? In fact, the standard big, black machines that you might be familiar with such the Underwood and Remington were the result of many years of mechanical evolution. During these years of discovery, ingenuity and mistakes, over four hundred different typing machines were produced to print the written word. Among them were machines with curved keyboards, double keyboards or no keyboards at all!

The first typewriter patent was issued to an English engineer, Henry Mill in 1714. He outlined the concept of the typewriter when he registered a patent for "an artificial machine for impressing letters one after another, as in writing, whereby all writings may be engrossed in paper or parchment, so neat and exact as not to be distinguished from print." However, this machine was never made.

Many experimental typewriters were built and used during the first 75 years of the nineteenth century but none were produced in quantity. This was about to change though, as the technology for mass production had arrived and the need for fast, accurate business communication was growing. What was needed was a person to bring together all of the successful elements that had been developed so far.

This person was Christopher Sholes, an American printer living in Milwaukee. After a shaky start with a number of experimental, prototype machines, Sholes was advised by his financial backer (Glidden) to have his typewriter produced by E. Remington and Sons. This was wise advice as the Remington factory was well equipped to mass-produce complex machines, having already set up production facilities to manufacture guns and later sewing machines. With the American Civil War over and the need for guns diminished, Remington was eager for new business opportunities and embraced the challenge.

In 1874, one thousand Sholes and Glidden typewriters came out of the Remington factory. This typewriter was a beautiful object, all black and covered with hand painted floral decorations. A cast iron foot treadle operated the carriage return. The influence of the sewing machine on its design was clear. To see what had been typed, it was necessary to lift up the carriage and look under the roller, as the type-bars struck on the underside. This was the first appearance of the "Qwerty" keyboard. The purpose of this layout was to minimize the type-bars from clashing with each other while typing, by separating the type-bars of letters that are frequently typed in sequence (t and h) and letters that are frequently used. Attempts were made to introduce more sensible layouts once typewriter designs had evolved but it
was too late, people had already learned one way and understandably did not want to learn again.

The start was slow for the typewriter. With the next typewriter, the Caligraph, not entering the world stage until 1881. However, during the following twenty years everything changed, as the industrial world realized that the typewriter was indispensable.

There was not one inventor of the typewriter, far from it. Hundreds of companies and individuals got into the business of designing and building typewriters. The inventors, having to avoid patent infringements and pursuing their own notion of the better typewriter, created many ingenious mechanisms to get the printed word onto paper. There was little if any apparent design progression for these first typewriters. A great variety of machines were invented, out of which the most efficient combinations of mechanisms were gradually selected. Some mechanisms, too advanced, disappeared until a later time. Each mechanism solved a particular problem, but not always in the best way. There were notable successes and failures!

Full keyboard typewriters were very expensive, costing between $60 and $100 (a clerk's wage was $5 a week, with a horse drawn carriage costing between $40 and $70. ). With few second-hand machines to be had, a less expensive machine was needed. Thus, the "index machine" was born. This typewriter had no keyboard. Instead, a dial or knob was turned to select the character to be printed. Typing was slow, but the cost was right at $5 to $30 per machine. The index machine was popular for small businesses and home use. Many varieties were produced. As second hand machines became available and touch-typing was discovered around 1900, the market for index typewriters disappeared.

By 1896 many components, combinations and designs had been tried and the winner was emerging. A typewriter with the correct combination of successful components, a typing machine that would usher in the new century, conquer the world and put an end to this period of rich diversity in typewriter history. The Underwood had arrived.

Article Source: http://collectibles-articles.com

Antique Typewriters - The Martin Howard Collection houses the largest collection of its type in Canada. Visit antiquetypewriters.com to see images of many rare and historically important typewriters showing their remarkable diversity and beauty.

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