When is old tech sexy? And to whom? And why?
Typewriters are in and are selling for between $250 and $600 at Oblation Papers in Portland, Oregon. Creamy paper combined with darkest ribbon black and the slight indent of courier font leaves a sillage of nostalgia to the tune of a carriage return chorus and ringing keystrokes.
The typewriter played a prominent role in the Churchill movie Darkest Hour. The strike of Remington key slugs slamming the carriage with growing surety firing words into battle with singular aim and created a character that should have had credits of its own.
Fittingly, the movie Trumbo, about a blacklisted screenwriter who continued to write under other’s names, also had a typewriter cast member, a Royal. Cigar smoke figures heavily in both films.
The typewriter shows up in airports even. Terminal 2 at the San Francisco Airport displays “The Typewriter: An Innovation in Writing”. Focused on industrial engineering, the exhibit shows off an impressive collection of advancements. Through Jan 28, 2018.
And last but not least, Blue Moon Camera in Portland, Oregon also sells vintage typewriters along with vintage cameras. The connection between the two technologies is a bit vague for me other than both are old tech.
Jennifer Hartnett-Henderson 