Automatic
- Patented 1887 -
Often referred to as the Hamilton Automatic, the Automatic Typewriter was patented by
E.M. Hamilton of New York and placed on the market in 1888. It was provided
with 48 keys and wrote in capital letters only. Numbers and punctuation
marks were also included. It was manufactured almost entirely of brass and
was remarkably small, measuring only 11" wide x 8" deep x 4"
tall. Inside its small chassis were miniature typebars of 1.5" in length
and an inkpad inking system. The spacebar was placed at the top of the
keyboard and was inscribed with the word Automatic. The Automatic
was withdrawn from the market in 1891 when stockholders of the company refused
to invest further and the factory was closed. A very desirable and
stunning object. Few have survived.
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This page was created on October 18, 2008