Blickensderfer Desk Typewriter, Model No. 5, 1893-1896

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Artifact Overview

George Blickensderfer's typewriters combined a user-friendly keyboard (rather than an index) with the lightweight technology of a cylindrical typewheel. In the 1890s, Blickensderfer's DHIATENSOR keyboard layout challenged the QWERTY layout, the layout of the first commercially successful typewriter, the Sholes and Glidden. DHIATENSOR, argued George Blickensderfer, avoided stuck keys and increased typing efficiency.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Typewriter

Date Made

1893-1896

Creator Notes

Invented by George C. Blickensderfer and manufactured by Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company in Stamford, Connecticut

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

37.154.3

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Nickel alloy
Wood (Plant material)
Leather

Dimensions

Height: 6 in
Width: 8 in
Length: 11.5 in

Inscriptions

front of frame: THE BLICKENSDERFER NO. 5 BLICKENSDERFER MFG. CO. 385 BROADWAY, N.Y. lower front edge of frame: PATENTED inside of cover: [operating instructions)
Blickensderfer Desk Typewriter, Model No. 5, 1893-1896