Hammond typewriter

Hammond 1 typewriter, 1885
Hammond No. 1, Hammond Typewriter Co.

Hammond was one of the early commercial typewriters from late 19th century and was sold up until the late 20th century. It was invented by James Bartlett Hammond in 1880, first manufactured 1881, and released in 1884. John Pratt sold his typewriter patent rights in 1882 to the Hammond Typewriter Company for the manufacture of the typewriter.

Design

The Hammond came with a case and was designed with a curved keyboard. It became popular because of its superior print quality and changeable typeface, which was also available as foundry type from the Inland Type Foundry. The type is carried on a pair of interchangeable rotating sectors, one controlled by each half of the keyboard. A small hammer pushes the paper against the ribbon and type sector to print each character. The mechanism was later adapted to give a straight QWERTY keyboard and proportional spacing as can be seen on later models, including variations of the Hammond 1 model.

Later it was adapted with a tactile interface and Braille output to allow the production and consumption of text by and for blind people. This adaptation was initiated in 1875 by Sir Francis Campbell, co-founder of the Royal National College for the Blind. Helen Keller used a Hammond Typewriter during her college years.

References

  1. ↑ Howard, Martin (January 28, 2011). "Beautiful Machine: 1881 Hammond Typewriter". Collector's Weekly. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Two Hammond 'Ideal' typewriters, one with case". Science Museum Group Collection. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  3. ↑ The National Cyclopædia of American Biography. Vol. 3. New York: J. T. White & Company. 1893. p. 315.
  4. ↑ "The Virtual Typewriter Museum: Hammond 1". typewritermuseum.org. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "The Virtual Typewriter Museum: Hammond 1 variations". typewritermuseum.org. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Hammond Folding Multiplex Typewriter". museumoftypewriters.omeka.net. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Typewriters and assistive technology for blind and partially sighted people". Science Museum. 28 October 2021. Archived from the original on 12 October 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  8. ↑ Keller, Helen (1903). The Story of My Life. New York: Doubleday, Page & Co. pp. 98–99. I use the Hammond typewriter. I have tried many machines, and I find the Hammond is the best adapted to the peculiar needs of my work. With this machine movable type shuttles can be used, and one can have several shuttles, each with a different set of characters—Greek, French, or mathematical, according to the kind of writing one wishes to do on the typewriter.