Type

Posted on March 24, 2011 by spilledinkguy

This is my wife’s old L.C. Smith & Bros. typewriter. It just might be the most technologically advanced thing in our store. Anyway, Anna is an aspiring novelist who loves vintage ‘machines’, and I love photographing them (so that all works out nicely).

Speaking of writing, if I could string a coherent sentence or two together this blog would improve dramatically. Oh well. It’s a good thing I’ve got lots more images, I guess.

About this image: digital photograph moderately modified

34 thoughts on “Type”

Bearman on March 24, 2011 at 2:42 pm said:

“It just might be the most technologically advanced thing in our store” Are you saying you are a relic?

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- spilledinkguy on March 24, 2011 at 3:05 pm said:
  
  Hahaha – that’s putting it nicely, Bearman! 🙂
  
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nursemyra on March 24, 2011 at 4:50 pm said:

Lovely image. If we ever met up in person I think I’d really get along well with Annabelle

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- spilledinkguy on March 24, 2011 at 5:35 pm said:
  
  Thank you, N.M. –
  I think you would, too! 🙂
  
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- Annabelle on March 25, 2011 at 8:39 pm said:
  
  I’m sure we would! 🙂
  
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Syncopated Eyeball on March 24, 2011 at 6:27 pm said:

Nice high contrast.

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- spilledinkguy on March 24, 2011 at 7:47 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much, S.E. 🙂
  
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frigginloon on March 24, 2011 at 7:11 pm said:

Damn, I thought it was going to spell out something rude 😦

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- spilledinkguy on March 24, 2011 at 7:47 pm said:
  
  Hahaha…
  sadly spelling isn’t my strong suit.
  🙂
  
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Binky on March 24, 2011 at 8:33 pm said:

For the younger generation, this picture would probably be a real puzzler.

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- spilledinkguy on March 25, 2011 at 11:45 am said:
  
  Ha – that’s very true, Binky.
  While I might not know how to use a typewriter successfully at least I can recognize one! 🙂
  
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thedailydish on March 24, 2011 at 9:45 pm said:

I agree w/ Nurse Myra. Anna seems like one awesome lady. Love this photo, Inky!

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- spilledinkguy on March 25, 2011 at 11:46 am said:
  
  I think so too, Dishy!
  Thank you for the kind words, as always! 🙂
  
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- Annabelle on March 25, 2011 at 8:41 pm said:
  
  Thanks Dishy! I do try, lol. 😛
  
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Robert X. Jones on March 25, 2011 at 12:49 am said:

Cool shot, I really like it. Vintage items are something I like looking at.

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- spilledinkguy on March 25, 2011 at 11:47 am said:
  
  Thanks Mr. J –
  me, too – and/or mechanical stuff… makes for a fun shot, I think. 🙂
  
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sonny on March 25, 2011 at 3:05 am said:

the beauty of your blog lies in the lack of words…though am not saying your whacky sense of humour isn’t attractive…it is….
and anna being the novelist..its gods way of balancing your life…lol

thats a cool close up…if you hadn’t said what it is i’d never have guessed…

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- spilledinkguy on March 25, 2011 at 11:49 am said:
  
  Thank you so very much, Sonny –
  you are far too kind… it might be as close to being ‘well-balanced’ as I’ll ever get!
  
  Especially since the typeface is seen ‘mirrored’ – that really makes things seem a bit strange (I think, anyway).
  
  🙂
  
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Jillsy Girl on March 25, 2011 at 8:48 am said:

for some reason, the image immediately made me think of a suspense/thriller movie, none in particular, just a poster for one. great mood setting!

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- spilledinkguy on March 25, 2011 at 11:50 am said:
  
  Thanks very much, Jillsy…
  now if only I could find some popcorn! 🙂
  
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blackwatertown on March 25, 2011 at 12:45 pm said:

Roll on the pics.
Does Anna, your wife, have a blog – or is she actually getting on with the writing (unlike me)?

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- spilledinkguy on March 25, 2011 at 12:51 pm said:
  
  Thank you, B.W.!
  My wife doesn’t have a blog yet (although I think she’s planning one). She has nearly completed editing her first novel, though – which impresses the heck out of me! 🙂
  
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  - blackwatertown on March 25, 2011 at 1:03 pm said:
    
    Me too.
    
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    - Annabelle on March 25, 2011 at 8:47 pm said:
      
      My novel is a work in progress to say the least. I still have a bit more editing to do but overall I’d say I’m 98.2% done! My problem is I have too many interests/hobbies… sometimes it is actually a bit overwhelming! I wish I had about 20 more hours a day and someone would pay me to just be creative/make cool stuff! Ahh… in a perfect world…
      
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milkayphoto on March 25, 2011 at 1:28 pm said:

There is just something about old typewrites, eh? I feel sorry for the kids of today who have never typed on one. I can remember doing so on my mom’s old beast. Oh, and when they came out with the corective white tape! Happy times!

Nice image….

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- spilledinkguy on March 25, 2011 at 1:58 pm said:
  
  There’s a warmth to typewriters, I think.
  
  Thanks, M.P. – I appreciate that! 🙂
  
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- Annabelle on March 25, 2011 at 8:49 pm said:
  
  I love my old banger! 😛 When I saw it in the antique store I freaked out! I was so excited! It’s probably one of my favorite possessions.
  
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  - spilledinkguy on March 25, 2011 at 10:07 pm said:
    
    I want that…
    🙂
    
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tixrus on March 27, 2011 at 7:40 pm said:

vintage. and of course you know how to use one. The modern keyboards are just the same.

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- spilledinkguy on March 28, 2011 at 11:42 am said:
  
  Very true!
  Well, my keyboard sure isn’t anyway.
  Thank you so very much for stopping by! 🙂
  
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Tony McGurk on March 29, 2011 at 6:33 am said:

I remember in 1st year high school we had to do compulsory typing lessons & I wasted so many pieces of paper. They never did get the “spellchecker” or “undo” software installed on those things

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- spilledinkguy on March 29, 2011 at 9:55 am said:
  
  Hahaha…
  that’s my downfall as well! It usually takes me several attempts to type a word that’s close enough for spell check to even find a correct replacement for! 🙂
  
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Red on April 11, 2012 at 10:41 am said:

I learned to type on an antique (even then) Smith Corona. And children are missing out having to type in three dimensions rather than on a flat keyboard. Having said that, I recently dug out an old computer with a standard desktop keyboard and nearly broke my fingers trying to hit the keys properly.

I would love to know when Annabelle’s book comes out. She is a shoe in for an interview at M3. If you married her, she comes highly recommended. Or wait, did she marry you? Either way, you know I love new authors.

As to the picture… I love the perspective. It reveals something even people who have typed on one may never realize…See how the keys appear to be out of line? They were all measured just so to keep the lines straight when the keys struck the paper. As they age, the joints in the hammer shafts wear out and the lines of letters get wonky.

For all the brats who think there was no precision to the old way we did things, they are very mistaken. Great shot.
Red.

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- spilledinkguy on April 11, 2012 at 11:14 am said:
  
  My mother still has an old Smith Corona somewhere! I wish we had a better ribbon in my wife’s typewriter… I love old type (and I tend to use it all the time, too)! It takes a lot more time ‘grunge-ing-up’ computer fonts, and it’s nearly impossible to get all the wonderful subtle variations you do with the real thing!
  
  Annabelle would be absolutely THRILLED at the opportunity, Red! It might be a little while, yet… she’s on her fourth or fifth pass through her ‘final draft’, though… so I’m hoping it will be a bit sooner than later. It’s been a major life-goal for her, though, so I can understand her wanting to take the time to ‘get it right’.
  
  So much engineering went into things like this! And when you stop to think about it, pout some of those ‘old’ things next to something you go out and buy today and it’s NO CONTEST which one’s quality will keep it working longer! Newer ‘ aint ‘ always better!
  
  Thanks much, Red!
  
  🙂
  
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