Blickensderfer Portable Typewriter, Model 8, 1908-1909

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Artifact Overview

George Blickensderfer's typewriters combined a user-friendly keyboard with the lightweight technology of a cylindrical typewheel. In the 1890s, the DHIATENSOR keyboard challenged the QWERTY layout-the layout of the first commercially successful typewriter, the Sholes & Glidden. DHIATENSOR proponents claimed it reduced stuck keys and increased typing efficiency. This typewriter may have been used by botanist Luther Burbank.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Typewriter

Date Made

1908-1909

Creator Notes

Manufactured by Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

45.55.7

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Mrs. Luther Burbank.

Material

Iron alloy
Rubber (Material)
Wood (Plant material)
Copper alloy
Paper (Fiber product)
Leather
Cadmium
Cellulose acetate

Dimensions

Height: 6.5 in
Width: 13.0 in
Length: 10.5 in

Inscriptions

nameplate: THE HOME BLICKENSDERFER STAMFORD CONN. U.S.A. front of cover: BLICKENSDERFER
Blickensderfer Portable Typewriter, Model 8, 1908-1909