Today I was happily sitting in the nominal file store, researching a Lieut-Colonel in the Suffolk Regiment who, in 1909, made a model of a water delivery boat from Gibraltar when I came across a file titled The Noiseless Typewriter Company. How could I resist taking a peek inside?
The first thing I found was a letter from The Noiseless Typewriter Company in the Strand. The museum had asked to borrow an example of the magical new invention for an exhibition on typewriters. At the bottom of the letterhead ran the legend:
Consider the moral influence of quiet
Whenever I see those old movies with a room full of typists, I always consider the noise. It must have been extremely loud with all the clacking and dinging as nimble fingers pushed keys against platen. Others were thinking the same thing.
Ever since the first typewriter, there had been a race to find one that was quiet. Then in 1912, having poured half a million dollars into its development, a collaboration between two inventors (Kidder and Colby) saw a bright shiny new model. Manufacture started almost immediately but the machine was useless and quickly ditched.
One of the designers on the project decided to go back to the drawing board and, in 1917, came up with the brilliant Noiseless Number 4. It even had a muffled bell to quiet the constant end of line ding.
Following the success of the desk top model, they also developed a portable version (allowing secretaries to work on the train into work, clearly) which has gone down in history as “…being one of the most beautiful typewriters ever designed.” It was all Art Deco, curved and sexy – the iPad of its day, I assume.
In 1924, clearly making a mint, Kidder and Colby sold their patent to Remington, who went into wholesale production of the quiet machine. They were still making and selling them up until 1969.
Example of a Noiseless Typewriter Company machine
Computers obviously put an end to the typewriter (and they’re a lot quieter) and have banished them to the realm of collectors and (very) old fashioned authors who won’t work with a hard drive and keyboard.
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Building works at the V&A
The above photo is for Karen. The yellow hoarding is hiding away the work going on to create a new entrance for the V&A in Exhibition Road. They are also creating a new courtyard and temporary exhibition space behind there. It’s all part of FuturePlan.
Now I know why they removed the trees and the red telephone box from Exhibition Road. It was all part of the plan…FuturePlan.
Thank goodness they are keeping the upkeep of it. We had the opening of the Brisbane City Hall; they closed it for nearly two years and refurbished it like it was 200 years ago. It is wonderful at least Blythe never got her hands on that. She pulled down and sold so much while she was premier.
love mum x