A very clean and optimistic looking postcard showing the giant Underwood machine at the 1939 New York World's Fair. This was I think very much an Underwood thing, these giant machines. Maybe they refurbished their old one to look like a modern machine, but also quite likely this one was built new.
And the reverse of the card here also, with informative tidbits.
The overall optimism for the future that radiates from the fair imagery is quite uplifting. To get a feel for the (very diverse) event, there is actually an amazing amount of color film footage on the net.
Oh. And still haven't got an Underwood :)
Thanks for the link to those films, which are a reminder of the excitement of my and my wife's fair-going experience at Vancouver, 1984. There is a similar feeling of all the possibilities and varied new experiences. From an earlier fair, I still recall the excitement of hearing, through headphones, stereo sound for the first time at a fair in the l950's. And thanks also for the reminder of the Internet Archive!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Do obtain an Underwood No. 5 - a wondrous-looking machine, as well as a very enjoyable typer.
DeleteVery welcome :)
DeleteI've enjoyed watching some of these color film reels. The archive is a great site with amazing stuff.
Actually started out on tw's looking for a good U5 to replace the Lexikon I had kept for 20+ yrs, but then got caught by 30-ies portables. It really is the canonical typewriter, maybe after I've solved some storage and display challenges...
I understood during the last Dutch Typewriters Collectors Meeting that there was only 1 giant Underwood. So this one is indeed refurbished.
ReplyDeleteNice piece to have for the flat collection.
Ah, tnx! So the 3 years to build it were nicely spread out over decades, crafty copywriter there.
Delete(Flatware causes much less storage and display challenges :-)
Does anyone know what happened to the giant Underwood Master??! Hope it didn't get scrapped for the war effort. Wouldn't it be cool if someone found it in a warehouse somewhere.
ReplyDeleteAfaik it was indeed scrapped during the war.
DeleteWould have been neat - it would have needed very large warehouse to be left hanging around in a corner that long :)
Yep, that's the story. Very sad. :-(
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