We're two sisters who are craft book publishers and found ourselves in the midst of an avocado grove. We bought this house where we planned to conduct our publishing business and in the deal got 4 acres of avocado trees thrown in. Now we're not only publishers but ranchers as well! This blog is all about avocados and anything else that strikes my fancy.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Sepia Saturday - 100 years of Typing



I know, typewriters are a bit older than 100 years. But they've been around for 100 years so that's what I'm going to typewrite about. The model above is from 1907. I couldn't find a 1911 version but I'm sure they're out there somewhere.

The typewriter has come a long way and now it's on its way to extinction, which is such a shame. I just disposed of 2 IBM selectrics. I used to love the selectric with the bouncing balls of type.


I've always loved to type. I started with a portable manual typewriter in high school and used it to type all my papers. It's still in my garage in the original case. I was a really fast typist, and still am, for that matter. But there's something about typing on a real typewriter and swinging that carriage and hearing the bell. You know what I mean?



I can't believe how well this man types to the music. He happens to be a percussionist with the orchestra, so I guess he knows how to practice and to master his instrument.

But Jerry Lewis does him one better or maybe worse as the case may be:



So after 100+years typewriters are slowly filling up landfills and we're saying a tearful farewell as we type away on our computer keyboards and don't even look back.

And what has the typewriter come to, but this:




and this:





So farewell, goodbye to the typewriter, hello computer keyboard. Wonder what some person will be posting on Sepia Saturday 100 years from now.

For other Sepia Saturday stories click here sepia saturday.

26 comments:

  1. What a fabulous post, I agree that there was really something about using a real typewriter that computers don't have.
    Loved the two clips.

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  2. Great post. The videos are very entertaining. I usually hate to see old things taken apart and made into crafts, but that is better than throwing everything in the trash. I threw away my typewriter when I moved.

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  3. I had a Royal typewriter in a nifty carrying case. A fun post, enjoyed the two clips. I don't have typewriter jewelry, but love those sticker embellishments that look like typewriter keys for crafts. Boy, was Jerry Lewis in his prime back then. His hair is still shiny with pomade.

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  4. I miss you typing on your typewriter. I always thought you had super human powers with your fast typing skills. And you don't know how much it meant when you would type my papers in grade school in no time. Boy, was I lucky to have you for a mom! :)

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  5. That is a smashing post. And I think your choice of the typewriter to somehow represent the last 100 years is very apt. Granted we have moved from the typewriter age to the computer age but the stamp of that earlier machine lives on in most of what we do. A great post, thanks so much for sharing it with us, and thanks for all your support of Sepia Saturday over the last couple of years.

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  6. A very entertaining post. I really enjoyed the talented percussionist. At least by turning the keys etc into jewllery the typewriter is being remembered. We only just threw out an old typewriter - darn it!

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  7. Oh what a great choice to celebrate 100. Now-a-days people don't recognize the word, "type" nor what that entailed. I still have my portable Underwood typewriter which was my high school graduation present and which I used in college. We used to have another old upright that MIL had but it went to the dump. Thanks for doing this one and the memories.

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  8. Typewriters will fade away like sepia photos, treasured examples of early technology. I can say as an orchestra musican, that Leroy Anderson's music is quite tricky for a percussionist, who must acquire just the right typewriter with a good action and bell. Sadly this great novelty is no longer understood by young audiences and is performed only rarely.

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  9. Oh I like what you did, the videos were fantastic, especially Jerry Lewis, I so loved him when he was a crazy funny guy, with Dean Martin movies as well! Great post! Thanks!

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  10. It's the typewriter accessories that I misss the most. Now where is that Tipex to get rid of that extra 's'?
    A great idea for post in sepia's one hundredth week.

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  11. I've heard the typewriter piece before but never saw it performed. amazing hand work. i learned how to type on a typewriter not too unlike the one from 1907. It was an underwood and before I finished highschool was replaced with an electric something or other.

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  12. I have never been able to type, even now I just use about four fingers, and it's just a matter of luck which ones. All the same I do remember the old typewriters and also the IBM golfballs. Just occasionally I see an old typewriter in the window of an antique shop - hold on to them, they may become valuable!

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  13. I learned to type on an old Olivetti which is why I bash my keyboard so harshly, and always will. And I need to prop my laptop up on my specs case as I can't type on a flat keyboard. I think I may need those earrings :-) Jo

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  14. What a fun post! There truly is something magical about the bell and carriage return. Somehow keyboarding is not the same. Thanks.

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  15. Although the woman in the first photo is very lovely, my eyes are immediately drawn to the typewriter. Some of those old typewriters are so beautiful. I love the jewelry too, but I hope nobody's dismantling otherwise working typewriters to make it.

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  16. At least the percussionist doesn't have to worry about typos. And what will an orchestra do in 100 years if they want to perform that music with a typewriter?

    I think we can see the beginning of the next 100 years coming with the use of touch screens....

    This was a fabulous post. I know for many of us "older" Sepia Saturdayites, we started with typewriters. I loved learning to type and enjoyed using a typewriter but I was thrilled when we could easily make corrections with the selectrics, and now love having the greater ease of making corrections, rearranging, saving multiple versions offered by computers.

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  17. Oh, how I envy your skill with typing! I wasn't able to take it as a subject at school, much to my disgust, as I had chosen languages and the arts. Did they think language wouldn't benefit from keyboard ability? Sheesh - if only! I part taught myself to touch type when I left school, but I'm still a crap typist. LOL

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  18. I remember that before I got the computer was used to typing such small balls and changed according to the letter you would use, and are now rings! I was secretary for many years but spent the typewriter to the computer, I enjoyed this post, by many years I used an IBM machine too, lol gloria

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  19. And these little balls were really expensive!! he,he

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  20. What a clever take on the theme! I enjoyed your post so much.

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  21. Nancy, this is awesome! I loved Selectrics too, they were the best. Hey, the videos were fun. I was playing them both at the same time, and for awhile Jerry is synchronized with the music guy.

    This was a great and creative post to celebrate the 100th SS.

    Take care,

    Kathy M.

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  22. Wonderfully creative and interesting post! It brought back fond memories of the day I received a typewriter for my 11th birthday. It had a red case and it was among my most treasured possessions for a long time. Love the earings!

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  23. Love the earrings!!
    I remember my lessons in high school.
    Hurray for computers!!
    :D~
    HUGZ

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  24. I'm only a four finger typist, but I did type out ALL of my university notes on a portable in the 80s - not really necessary, but I found it helped me to learn them, and I didn't need to look at them again until just before the exams. Something about the rhythm of the typing embedding the words into your brain, perhaps. I still have very vivid memories of the first typewriter I ever used, in my Dad's office - a massive old Imperial that looked, if my memory serves me correctly, just like this one, even down to the well worn Shift key. Thanks for the memories.

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  25. I learned to type on a manual, I don't recall the model, but it was the type where the key swung up to the ribbon to strike the paper. Well, I became quite fast and I could type faster than the machine could. The keys would become entangled with one another all too often. Oh, how I loved it when my Dad brought home an old IBM Selectric from his office!! Now that was a luxurious machine! We kept it in the garage and I would be out there typing term papers all night long. It must have sounded pretty funny outside the garage ha ha.

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  26. Just a great post! I enjoyed it so much!
    Thanks for your nice comment about Flora.

    If you have the time, please, take a look on my post about typewriters.

    Have a nice weekend.

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