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Posted: 22 Jan 2015

Taken: 22 Jan 2015

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A Giant Underwood Typewriter at the New York World's Fair, 1939

A Giant Underwood Typewriter at the New York World's Fair, 1939
"The 14-Ton Giant Underwood Master, operating daily at the New York World's Fair, 1939. Underwood Elliott Fisher Company. Underwood, Elliott-Fisher, Sundstrand, Speed the World's Business, One Park Avenue, New York."

As this linen postcard suggests, a huge Underwood typewriter attracted visitors at the New York World's Fair in 1939. For some amazing photographs of the oversized machine, see The Giant Underwood Master Typewriter, a posting on the History By Zim blog.

Underwood Elliott-Fisher (originally the Underwood Typewriter Company) also displayed a giant typewriter at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915 (see postcard image below).

Printed on the back of this postcard:

The Giant Underwood Master Typewriter
The Largest in the World

Operates daily at the Underwood Elliott Fisher Exhibit in the Business Systems and Insurance Building at the New York World's Fair.

This huge machine, weighing 14 tons, is 1,728 times larger than the regular Underwood Master. It required 3 years to build. Each typebar weighs 45 pounds and the carriage alone weighs 3,500 pounds. Letters are typed on "stationery" measuring 9 by 12 feet, and the ribbon in the machine is 100 feet long and five inches wide. Two box cars were required to transport the Giant to the World's Fair.

A Giant Underwood Typewriter at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, 1915

Stan Askew, , Smiley Derleth, and 4 other people have particularly liked this photo

Comments
 arts enthusiast
arts enthusiast
What an amazing card! This looks just like my Mother's old typewriter.
9 years ago.
 Bob Taylor
Bob Taylor club
Modern times. Those were the days.
9 years ago.
 Stan Askew
Stan Askew club
superb.
8 years ago.

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