While writing has been around for several thousand years, and movable type has been used in printing European languages since Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440, the typewriter—a mechanic device using type similar to the moving type used in printing—wasn’t introduced until 1874. By the end of the nineteenth century, the typewriting was a common machine in most commercial offices. During the twentieth century, high schools offered typing classes and typing was considered a critical skill in many professions. After 1980, typewriters began to be replaced by word processing computers.
One example of the importance of the typewriter in creative writing can be seen in Mourning Dove, the first American Indian woman novelist. While living in Portland, Oregon in 1912, she began working on her novel and the idea of becoming a writer began to grow. In order to pursue her goal of becoming a writer, she briefly attended the Calgary Business School in Alberta, Canada so that she could learn to type.
Shown below are some museum exhibits featuring typewriters.
Museum of Mental Health, Salem, Oregon
Lake Chelan Historical Society Museum, Chelan, Washington
Campbell House, Spokane, Washington
Northern Pacific Depot Museum, Wallace, Idaho
San Bernardino County Museum, Redlands, California
East Benton County Museum, Kennewick, Washington
Deschutes Historical Museum, Bend, Oregon
Shown above is an Underwood typewriter. This typewriter saw over 50 years of use at the local newspaper.
Poulsbo, Washington, Historical Society Museum
Wenatchee Valley Museum, Wenatchee, Washington
Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History, Missoula, Montana
Missoula Smokejumper Base, Missoula, Montana
Museums 201/301
This series compared similar exhibits from several museums. More from this series—
Museums 301: Sewing machines (photo diary)
Museums 301: Schools (photo diary)
Museums 201: Washing machines (photo diary)
Museums 201: Antique farming equipment (photo diary)
Museums 201: Gas stations and garages (photo diary)
Museums 201: Mining Displays (photo diary)
Museums 201: Jails and prisons (photo diary)
Museums 201: Swords, knives, and other sharp things (photo diary)