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| JAPY standard typewriters. Japy Freres, of Paris, France, got into the typewriter business in 1909 through an expedient manner; it bought, entirely, the assets of the Remington-Sholes Typewriter Co. of the United States, which had gone bankrupt the previous year. The firm had only just introduced its first "visible" standard machine, and it was with this design that Japy entered the market after moving the necessary tooling and facilities to Paris. The marque was successful for many years, with many models of standard and portable typewriters offered, until it was bought out by Paillard in the 1970's. Photos/machines from TILMAN ELSTER. |
| At left, a Japy No. 3, with serial number 31392. Note that the machine retains much of the look of the Remington-Sholes machines. Manufactured 1924. |
| At right, Japy 9., serial 128949. Built 1933-34. |
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| Japy No. 10. Serial 160224 / mfd 1935. |
| Japy 212, serial 900174. Built in the late 1930's. Notable is the fact that the machine itself is largelu unchanged, but has by now been fully enclosed and dustproofed, giving a classic 1930's look. |
| Japy Model 212, serial 836305LW. Manufactured in 1944. Note the austere look of this wartime production example as compared to the model seen prior. Wartime-built machines of any kind from Europe are unusual, and this is a great example. |
| Japy Model S.18, built 1953-55. Serial number 689307. This (considerably) post-war machine has an entirely new and pleasing look, with the elegant cursive Japy emblem on a styled top cover. The streamlined shaping helps the machine to look both modern and massive at the same time. This appears to be a Hermes machine, with slight restyling and a few detail alterations. |
| Japy SM35 (1967) s/n 8,306,460. This machine has a decidedly Hermes look -- and no wonder, because it is. Note the Hermes-style paper arms folded down on the carriage, and the row of tall keys for functions running across the front of the machine. It seems as if co-operation of the two firms led to Paillard taking over Japy completely. For some time around this period, numerous machines were obtained from other sources and labeled as Japy, as the firm transitioned from manufacturer to simple importer/distributor. |
| All machines this page courtesy of the Tilman Elster collection. |
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| (Left) JAPY GAZELLE; (Right) JAPY MESSAGE Tilman Elster collection, both pictures. These two late machines, both with serial numbers in the 8,000,000 series, are in all probability actually Hermes machines internally, built after the buyout of Japy by Hermes Precisa. They are the same basic machine with differences in styling. |
| You can see more JAPY portables by clicking here. Use your "back" button to return to this page. |