Ephemera

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Writing machines are terrific objects, but of even greater appeal to me is the visual culture of typewriters. I have collected numerous advertisements, typing and secretarial books, sales brochures and promotions, ribbon tins, accessories and typewriter manuals. It is an ongoing obsession. Here are a few images from my personal archive. (I covet these colourful Royals, illustrated below. One of each, please! They are indeed "breathtaking".)

Millie Motts

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I would like to introduce you to Millie Motts:

Actually, we don't know who this lady is, but she's one of many smiling vintage faces you'll find on the splendid blog and visual archive, Millie Motts. Regina Porter maintains the blog and calls herself an old soul. "I'm a collector of 1940s-60s just-about-anything," she says. "Fashion magazines, children's elementary school readers, textbooks, found photos, and miscellaneous ephemera... All of the images are from my personal archive. Old Charm magazines (for the working woman) have the best typewriter ads that I’ve found. I have a stack of old magazines that’s about 3 feet high…and growing. I always tell myself that I’m not going to buy any more until I’ve scanned what I have, but then I get to the store and know that if I don’t get whatever wonderful thing I find, it might not be there the next time!"

In honour of Typewriter Week, Regina has posted some images from her collection and also directs us to some previous typewriter-related posts: Alive After Five, Conferences & Coffee Breaks, Just my type, and Vacation. There's a lot more to see on the Millie Motts flickr site as well. I think Millie is just my type of gal!

Famous ribbon tins

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My typewriter tin collection is becoming quite famous on the internet — it has been viewed over 8000 times and I keep running across myself when I do typewriter research online. Today I found out via Love Made Visible that it is mentioned in the New York Times' T Magazine blog. In case you missed my original post about this collection, you can read more here and see it here.

Plastics in the 20th Century

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Here is an great reference for the history of product design: Plastics in the 20th Century, post WWII

"War effort made plastics industry boom. Many new materials developed just previous to war were fundamental in war effort like Nylon, Acrylic, Polyester and Synthetic Rubbers. After 1945 the market was flooded with plastic goods due to the inflated capacity of the industry. Plastics are the materials of choice for the Consumerist culture as it evolved from the 1940s on."

Favourite show

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It is probably not hard for you to guess that I am a fan of the television show Mad Men. I first began watching it for the props and costumes, but the dialogue, acting and slow-to-build plotlines are quite good, too. I'm always on the lookout for the typewriters shown in the office or other scenes. There is an anachronism with the model of IBM Selectric typewriters, though. The models shown did not come out until 1961, a year after the timeline set in the show. It is apparently explained in passing— the Sterling Cooper advertising agency handles the Selectric account. (You can occasionally catch a glimpse of an authentic typewriter ad hanging on an office wall.)

The AMC Mad Men website is full of great supplemental content such as behind-the-scenes, photos and interviews (I've spent a lot of time there today!), especially their 1960s Handbook that gives some historical context. This article (and link) about early photocopiers is quite interesting.


IBM typewriter photo from Flickr.

Lost and Found

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"Lost Found Art is a unique design company that specializes in sculptural installations and assemblages using antique and vintage pieces. Our works are created with an eye to scale, balance, color and surface interest, and the end result is a strong visual statement that combines artistic statement, whimsy, form and uniqueness. We can customize to fit any space, décor, or point of view. Subtle or outrageous, free standing or wall mounted, our collections become the focal point of any room in your home or business." Fantastic.

Film Studies

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Here are some views of the film strip projector and opening sequence of the educational film strips that we have on display in UPPERCASE. Thank you to Myles who delivered a garbage bag of discarded social studies film strips — we were happy to sort through moldy sandwiches and orphaned mits to rescue some strips. They have been used in interesting ways...

Leslie Hart's Old School submission, available here.

Judy Lee and Shaun Liu's cafeteria food made from paper. (Check out the bacon strips!)

Type Tuesday: Foxy Ad

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"By the time he graduates, the first sentence he learns to type (The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.) will be a thing of the past. But not his Smith-Corona portable. Smith-Corona portables are all guaranteed for five full years—instead of the usual 90 days. Five years of all the bumps, bangs and scrapes a portable may get from a student. This portable is built to take it. The all-steel frame completely encases the heart of each machine for added protection The electrostatic finish defied scratches, burns and bruises. All Smith-Corona portables are made to last. A college education is just the start of a lifetime of service."

Type Tuesday: Maura Cluthe

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Here is Maura Cluthe's Old School submission, entitled "Six-sided stories". It's a wonderful piece: there are nine vintage blocks adorned with collage and illustrations which allow you to make your own arrangements of type, pattern and image within a larger black frame. It has been sitting on my desk and I find myself easily distracted by it! (Visit Maura's Flickr for more images. It is available here.)