The Martin Howard Collection of antique typewriters is stunning. The first half of the 20th century ushered in a wave of mechanical ingenuity, and Howard’s collection showcases some of the greatest (and less-than-spectacular) efforts of manufacturers to keep pace with the demand for new writing machines.

Most of us are familiar with the standard shape and design of typewriters such as the Densmore.

But some inventors steered entirely clear of things like…keyboards, often at the expense of speed and efficiency.

I was amused to see that even at the dawn of industrialization, the need to create innovative gadgets was so prevalent. This collection of beautiful (and bizarre) machines is a fantastic glimpse into our typographical history.

See the rest (along with descriptions) here.