Hammond 'Ideal' typewriter, 1884

Hammond 'Ideal' typewriter with case

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Hammond 'Ideal' typewriter with case
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Hammond "Ideal" typewriter with case, by Hammond Typewriter Company Limited, United Sates, 1884

Hammond 'Ideal' typewriter, 1884. In spite of its curved keyboard, the Hammond was popular because of its print quality and the ease with which the typeface could be changed. It was invented by James Hammond of Boston, Massachusetts in 1880. This is the first commercial model. The type is carried on a pair of interchangeable rotating sectors, one controlled by each half of the keyboard. A small hammer pushes the paper against the ribbon and type sector to print each character. The mechanism was later adapted to give a straight QWERTY keyboard and proportional spacing.

Details

Category:
Printing & Writing
Object Number:
1931-281/1
type:
typewriter
credit:
Mr. Philip Sturdy