--- title: Vintage Typewriters: See How They Evolved over the Years description: The 19th-century device was once the height of modernity canonical: https://time.com/4110243/typewriter-gallery/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-19T14:00:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:00:58.635Z article:section: History og:title: Vintage Typewriters: See How They Evolved over the Years og:description: The 19th-century device was once the height of modernity og:url: https://time.com/4110243/typewriter-gallery/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt41a4ccd6d2fe67ed/698870c20a4a2201539c7020/151112-vintage-typewriters-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Gossen Tippa Pilot typewriter ca. 1955 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Vintage Typewriters: See How They Evolved over the Years twitter:description: The 19th-century device was once the height of modernity twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt41a4ccd6d2fe67ed/698870c20a4a2201539c7020/151112-vintage-typewriters-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See How Typewriters Evolved Over the Years  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Nov 19, 2015 2:00 PM UTC  The Gossen Tippa Pilot, another ultraportable model, was made in Germany and used by Stanley Kubrick. ca. 1955 The Gossen Tippa Pilot, another ultraportable model, was made in Germany and used by Stanley Kubrick. ca. 1955Courtesy of The Typewriter Revolution  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Nov 19, 2015 2:00 PM UTC The typewriter isn’t exactly a modern technology: a patent for something that sounds an awful lot like one can be found as early as 1714\. But it was in the early 19th century that real, recognizable models began to be produced, and by the 1870s the typewriter was widespread. For the next 100-plus years, it would dominate as a mechanical writing device. And now in the computer age, as Richard Polt explores in his new book _The Typewriter Revolution_, many people are coming back to the typewriter by choice. Here are just a few of the models that made their mark in typewriter history.  Courtesy of The Typewriter Revolution [The Typewriter Revolution](http://www.amazon.com/The-Typewriter-Revolution-Typists-Companion/dp/1581573111) _is now available in stores and online._  The Royal No. 10\. 1926. Courtesy of The Typewriter Revolution  The Hermes Baby was popular for decades and introduced in the 1930s. 1938. Courtesy of The Typewriter Revolution  The Smith-Corona Silent-Super was produced in the 1950s. 1956. Courtesy of The Typewriter Revolution  The mid-century Underwood Deluxe Quiet Tab. 1956. Courtesy of The Typewriter Revolution  The Olivetti Lettera 22 known as an "ultraportable" was used by people such a Leonard Cohen and Sylvia Plath. ca. 1955 Courtesy of The Typewriter Revolution  The Gossen Tippa Pilot, another ultraportable model, was made in Germany and used by Stanley Kubrick. ca. 1955 Courtesy of The Typewriter Revolution Vintage Typewriters: See How They Evolved over the Years ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4110243/typewriter-gallery/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4110243/typewriter-gallery/"},"headline":"See How Typewriters Evolved Over the Years","datePublished":"2015-11-19T14:00:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:58.635Z","description":"The 19th-century device was once the height of modernity","url":"https://time.com/4110243/typewriter-gallery/","keywords":["Technology","photography"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt41a4ccd6d2fe67ed/698870c20a4a2201539c7020/151112-vintage-typewriters-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt41a4ccd6d2fe67ed/698870c20a4a2201539c7020/151112-vintage-typewriters-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Gossen Tippa Pilot typewriter ca. 1955","caption":"Gossen Tippa Pilot typewriter","creditText":"Courtesy of The Typewriter Revolution","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/technology/","name":"Technology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4110243/typewriter-gallery/","name":"See How Typewriters Evolved Over the Years"}}]}] ```