17. Index typewriters

The competition became stronger, mainly due to the many index typewriters which flooded the market as consumer goods. A whole range of simple pointer or index machines were sold in American warehouses for a few dollars. Here, the “Hall”, an index machine with rubber types which was imitated by many manufacturers, was an astounding success. Its inventor, Thomas Hall, was an affluent man who was certainly an exception amongst inventors if we think back to Peter Mitterhofer or Sholes and Glidden who both died in poverty.

The Sampo, the first typewriter from Sweden from 1894 of which only 500 were manufactured, was less successful.

The narrowest typewriter of its time was the American “Bennet”, a small printwheel typewriter which was designed in such a way that it could fit into a coat pocket.

The Virotyp from France was designed for war reporters. The pointer machine with a type platen was invented in 1914 by Viry, a French officer and cavalier who was responsible for field reporting in the First World War and finally made the “office on horseback” a reality. Using this machine it was possible to type when on horseback, since the rider was strapped in by the arm or leg. Sales of this machine were, however, rather low.