Archival Anecdotes: March 22, 2021

Sometimes I wonder what percentage of the American population has had the privilege of pressing down a typewriter key.

For the past 30 years, the public has been accustomed primarily to computers and even phones for their word processing needs.

Today typing a letter can be a smooth and efficient process, especially thanks to features such as ergonomic keyboards and spellcheck, not to mention a delete button. The modern computer keyboard is command central with an array of options and controls.

For folks who lived a century ago, typing was a specific skill reserved to 45,000 stenographers in the country (64% of whom were women.)

The Smithsonian recognizes typewriters as pivotal pieces of printing equipment that brought women into the business world.

One innovation came about at the end of the 19th century that increased the efficiency and demand of typing skills­- in effect creating new higher-paying jobs in clean and comfortable office environments.  

The qwerty keyboard was pioneered by a Wisconsin newspaper editor named Christopher Sholes in the 1870s.

Named after the first six-letter sequence across the top left row, the qwerty layout made its debut in 1874 on the Remington No. 2 Typewriter, and laid the foundation for future typing (and later texting.)

The design of the key board allowed for typists to develop a more efficient two-handed technique.

As was the case for many professionals during the later 19th and early 20th centuries, a good typewriter was necessary for clear and effective communication and documentation.

Sometimes though, technology poses challenges.  

One particular document within the museum's collections caught my attention. Before I even focused on the page, alarms were going off in my head. The typos were astronomical, yet it was still signed by Eddy County attorney and publisher P.M. Mattson.

The postscript read, "Dont f lont the new old typewriter I have boufght."