Some final views of Flavio's wonderful collection.
Briggs prototype, Visible Index, Picht:
Fontana Baby, Baby, unknown tiny typewriter, Dactylette, Taurus:
Thürey:
Unknown machine with illustration of a gnome:
And finally, not one but two Automatics:
Flavio doesn't use any of these typewriters, for pretty obvious reasons, but when I see them I can't resist imagining typing on them. If I had a Fontana Baby, I would create at least one typecast with it.
Gasp! Does Flavio find these wonders in Europe or in US as well? And how does he look for them? Via other collectors, antique shops, online etc.? Just curious...
ReplyDeleteHe finds them in many countries, using many strategies. The only specific story I can share (since it's already been printed in ETCetera) is that Flavio found an Alexis by phoning the barber shop in the village of Alexis, Illinois. Of course barbers know everything!
DeleteVery unique unique-looking typewriters.
ReplyDeleteDid you get a good look at how the "Gnome" machine works? Having what looks to be typebars, I have to assume its a sort of reversed version of the Sholes Visible, with the keypress causing the typebar to slide sideways to the printing point then moving forward? Either that or theyre all connected persay, and pressing a key pushes the line one way or the other to the right point before causing a typebar to strike ala certain index machines.
ReplyDeleteIt's the second method you described. You have a good eye! This is truly an extraordinary mechanism, and nothing is known about the origin of this clever device. (It's also fairly large, notably bigger than, say, a Bennett.)
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