TYPEWRITERS ALIVE: Ephemera as Windows into the LIVED Typewriter
All typewriters have biographies and as an example of technology, more general histories. Far more than simply being physical things, they have been created in cultural contexts and individually and as a technology have permeated and changed cultures. The ephemera around and about them, by definition, were not intended to last, and yet, some of it has. And each piece, whether letterhead, photograph, trade catalog, advertisement, and far more forms, can tell us something about those biographies and cultures if we can only learn to see and read them.
For my keynote to the Virtual Herman’s, I have selected some of my favorite ephemera, especially photographs, to illustrate these themes. I have attended all of the fall meetings at Hermans, and I know how important it is for all of us to have fun. I promise to do my best not to bore you.