The Museum of the 112th Bashkir Cavalry Division houses an Underwood typewriter that was popular in the first half of the 20th century.
This typewriter has a Cyrillic keyboard. The typing mechanism of the Franz Wagner system consists of a type bar segment, a keyboard with 92 characters, an ink ribbon, and a carriage with a paper-supporting platen roller.
In 1890, the American Franz Wagner obtained a patent for a typewriter with horizontally placed type-bar levers. But the right to manufacture this typewriter was bought by the American entrepreneur John Underwood, who gave his name to this model. Initially, the company did not manufacture typewriters, but only ribbons and carbon paper. The Underwood typewriter won huge popularity — in its heyday the company’s plant in Hartford, Connecticut, was producing one typewriter a minute.
Up to the early 20th century, the United States accounted for the bulk of all the typewriters produced and purchased. In pre-revolutionary Russia they did not make typewriters, but used them all the same. For example, it is established that that the deliveries in 1915-1916 were made by the Underwood Typewriter Company and Sundstrand Corporation.
This exhibit from the museum’s collection was probably produced for the Russian market in Poland.
The first typewriter in the USSR was produced in 1928 in Kazan.
This typewriter has a Cyrillic keyboard. The typing mechanism of the Franz Wagner system consists of a type bar segment, a keyboard with 92 characters, an ink ribbon, and a carriage with a paper-supporting platen roller.
In 1890, the American Franz Wagner obtained a patent for a typewriter with horizontally placed type-bar levers. But the right to manufacture this typewriter was bought by the American entrepreneur John Underwood, who gave his name to this model. Initially, the company did not manufacture typewriters, but only ribbons and carbon paper. The Underwood typewriter won huge popularity — in its heyday the company’s plant in Hartford, Connecticut, was producing one typewriter a minute.
Up to the early 20th century, the United States accounted for the bulk of all the typewriters produced and purchased. In pre-revolutionary Russia they did not make typewriters, but used them all the same. For example, it is established that that the deliveries in 1915-1916 were made by the Underwood Typewriter Company and Sundstrand Corporation.
This exhibit from the museum’s collection was probably produced for the Russian market in Poland.
The first typewriter in the USSR was produced in 1928 in Kazan.
