As readers may know, we are in the process of re-designing the society's website, and right now this involves a lot of grunt work (and does not leave much time to research our photographic resources for the monthly photo selections). Along the way, we come across a lot of interesting, or so we think, material. Today, it was the Blickensderfer typewriters. George Canfield Blickensderfer (1850-1917) developed typewriters that were way ahead of their time.
Apart from developing the first electric typewriter, Mr. Blickensderfer was an early proponent of portable machines. In 2003 we reproduced an article from The Guide Nature magazine of 1913, and it begins thus:
Any first-class typewriter is good to use out of doors if you have a porter or expressman to carry it for you. But there is a typewriter made by The Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company of Stamford, Connecticut, that is not only first-class but is easily portable. It weighs only five pounds and has been designed to meet all requirements in travelling.
This little gem of a thoroughly efficient typewriter is therefore entitled to be enrolled as an assistant in nearness to nature. Authors, professional people, naturalists, and all other people who love to write out of doors, or to utilize some of the time in travelling, will find in the Blickensderfer a really enjoyable and helpful companion.
So here goes: A Reprise: The Portable Typewriter and its Uses, 1913. Enjoy the pictures and the flight of fancy!
A model in the collections of the Stamford Historical Society
click to enlarge
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