Sholes Visible Desk Typewriter, 1901-1905

01

Artifact Overview

Christopher Latham Sholes, a Milwaukee journalist, politician, and printer, invented the first commercially successful typewriter, the Sholes and Glidden, in the 1860s. He continued to make improvements in typewriter design throughout his career. This Sholes Visible, manufactured by a Wisconsin typewriter company, has an unusual feature: typebars at angles to the platen. This was Sholes' last patented typewriter design, ending a mostly successful career.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Typewriter

Date Made

1901-1905

Creator Notes

Invented by Christopher Latham Sholes and manufactured by the Meiselbach Typewriter Company in Kenosha, Wisconsin

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

32.691.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Nickel alloy
Metal

Dimensions

Height: 11 in
Width: 15 in
Length: 12 in

Inscriptions

paper table: SHOLES
Sholes Visible Desk Typewriter, 1901-1905