Minneapolis Institute of Art

Blickensderfer 6 typewriter

Designer: George C. Blickensderfer; Manufacturer: Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company

Date

c. 1906

Medium

Aluminum, other metals

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Blickensderfer model 6 was the the portable typewriter 2.0--an improvement over the Model 5 that had debuted at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. The Model 6 was made of aluminum, rendering it lightweight, and like its predecessor, contained a fraction of the parts that made up its desktop contemporaries. Its rotating type wheel allowed for a speedy change in typefaces. Dubbed the Five-Pound Private Secretary, the Model 6 was portable and durable; the company touted it in advertisements as being, in every way, a high class machine. Like our own laptop computers and tablets today, it helped revolutionize work and communication while on the go. United States, Americas

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