In the last quarter of 2005, renowned German collectors Tilman Elster and Thomas Fuertig, along with US collector and webmaster Will Davis, began discussions about the viability of presenting, on the internet, a large number of European-made typewriters in the English language. The vast majority of real information surrounding these machines has heretofore not been available in English; in addition, very many of the machines mentioned in available English references are not shown. The project began initially as an outgrowth of a website already extant, but quickly grew in material, and in desired scope, to the point that an entirely new and separate website was called for. The result of this work is seen on the website "European Typewriters."
The photographs seen on the site are, in the vast majority, photographic 35mm prints which have either been scanned or photographed, then processed using Lexmark software and uploaded to the server at 110 dpi resolution and with forced physlcal sizes in the 3.2" - 3.5" width range. This provides good visual resolution for viewers using various systems while keeping file size small enough to allow all the machines it is desired to show to be displayed.
The information on the various product lines comes from a number of sources, but is in large part obtained either from the collectors themselves or else from the volume "Antique Typewriters from Creed to QWERTY" by Michael Adler, in this latter case only when the information agrees with that of the collectors.
The vast majority of pages linked from the master index, executed in the form of a map of Europe, are entirely new, and contain photos of machines which have never been presented before on the internet. Pages considered internal to the European Typewriter Project's site are all constructed with the same light blue background for easy identification. As few external links as possible have been used.
The major contribution of the site is its presentation of German-made machines, although those made in other nations are shown as much as is possible. It should be pointed out that Germany was, in the period between the World Wars, a major source of different typewriter designs (and a multitude of manufacturers) and that the two major contributors to the site have amassed a staggering collection, each, of such machines. Many of these have never been presented in a format such as that which exists here -- which namely is on the internet, and with no monetary access charge required. It is the sincere hope of the collaborative team that the machines shown have their due, and that those who consider themselves to be 'typewriter enthusiasts' will find something of interest in the site. If this is indeed the case, then our efforts have not been in vain. |
