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| Underwood SX-100 This illustration is of a machine offered through Montgomery Ward, and which was rebuilt. Note that the earlier machines mount the return lever on the front of the travelling carriage frame. This model was also known in sales literature and by dealers as "Rhythm Touch" and as "Master Model." This is confusing, as some earlier variants with the original carriage return were known by these names, or similar. Ads showing this model state that over 7,000,000 units had been sold, dating this variant to about 1950-1955. It is the second segment-shift variant. |
| Here we see the SX-100 on the left, and on the right the Underwood 150. The break-point between the two occurs at serial 7,570,000 in 1955. The Underwood 150 was built only through 1957. Note that the prominent front scale and margin set tabs are radically altered. |
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| Underwood Standard No. 1 Tilman Elster collection Serial number 6204. The Underwood No. 1 was first introduced in the years just before 1900 and was the machine upon whose reputation the Underwood legend was born. Originally manufactured by the Wagner Typewriter Company, with capital provided by John Underwood. Later, the company became known as the Underwood Typewriter Company. |
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| Underwood Standard No. 3 Tilman Elster collection About 1900, the early Underwood No. 1 and No. 2 were replaced by the No. 3, 4 and 5. These differed in options; the No. 3 model had wider than standard carriage (this No. 3 has a 12-inch platen) while the No. 4 and No. 5 differed in the number of character keys, with No. 5 employing more. Options, such as ribbon color selector, were added to all over the years. This 1914 No. 3 is serial number 89582. |
| Underwood Standard No. 4 Tilman Elster collection The No. 4 and No. 5 were the standard carriage-width machines, with No. 4 being less expensive as it typed four fewer characters. This is an early No. 4, with serial 71008. |
| Underwood Standard No. 5 Tilman Elster collection The Underwood 5 is often considered as the quintessential antique typewriter, although as we can see there were other very similar models, and this is in spite of the fact that millions were built. This very early No. 5 is serial number 6037-5 and dates to 1901. |
| Underwood No. 5 Tilman Elster collection Later version of No. 5 Underwood Standard with ribbon selector and other changes. Still mechanically the same reliable machine. Serial number 2219132-5, built 1927. The No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 models ran together through sometime in 1932, by serial number records, at which time the No. 6 appeared. The No. 6 was very little different, and in some sources the serial numbers do not break at this point. |
| As visual appearance is concerned, the machines were enclosed and thus dustproofed in the late 1930's, but remained carriage-shifted. This model was produced before and after the war, and is sometimes known as the "Master Model." The first really significant change occurred in 1947 when Underwood finally converted its standard typewriter to basket shift, in line with most other makers (and which most had done prior to the Second World War.) At the moment, we are unable to show this model. We are also temporarily unable to display the 1947 model, which was enclosed, basket-shifted and which retained the original carriage return lever setup. |
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| Underwood SX-100 Tilman Elster collection This rather unremarked sub-variant was built from about 1950 until 1955 when the Underwood 150 superseded it. It is very largely the same as the previous model, built 1947-1950 with segment shift, but note the most important change -- this machine has a long carriage return lever which reaches back to the area of the left platen knob. This is the first diversion from the original pre-1900 return lever setup. This machine is serial number 11-6830645 and dates to 1951. |
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| Underwood Touchmaster Tilman Elster collection Advertised with the common theme of "Golden Touch" as were so many 1950's Underwood machines, both standard and portable. This model replaced the Underwood 150 in 1957, and was built until part-way through 1960. In most essential features, the following Underwood standards are quite similar through to the end of production in the mid-1960's, following merger with Olivetti in 1963.. This machine is serial J13-8072733 and was built in 1958. |
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| Underwood Noiseless Standard Will Davis collection Serial number N5021969, built 1940. |
| Underwood Noiseless Standard Tilman Elster collection Serial number 3942070, built 1935. The Underwood and Remington variants of the Noiseless Standard do indeed vary in some details, and it is true that many patents for alterations and improvements to the design were taken out over the years not by Remington, but by Underwood. Tilman's fine example shows all the visual characteristics common to these machines. This machine has a multiple-key decimal tabulator; my example, shown below, has a conventional tabulator setup with tab bar in the center and tab stop set / clear keys either side of it. |
| This Underwood Typewriter Gallery is dedicated to my father, David B. Davis, whose life-long favorite brand of standard typewriter has been the Underwood. We recently discussed the fact that he wished to acquire a certain variant he'd used, but had trouble identifying it by year and model. This project is the result, and will be added to as variants are identified. This page: Standards. |
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