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The Remington

Typewriter

by Judy Gonyeau, managing editor

hen it comes to the name “Remington,” think “mechanical.” a few design
The engineering ability of founder Eliphalet Remington and mechanical
Wshowed its prowess when, at the age of 23, he forged his first adjustments.
rifle barrel, convinced it would be something that would be an One thing
improvement to current examples or, as the other story goes, to give that drove this
him what he could not otherwise afford. Either way, it was the start of inventive type-
a name that is noted for its ingenuity, whether applied to gun barrels writer ahead of
and accessories, adding machines, sewing machines, one of the earliest other “writing
computers, or typewriters. machines” being
created by other
Ingenuity manufacturers
E. Remington went was the arrange-
on to build his business ment of the
by moving their foundry letters on the
and forge to a logistically keyboard, known
pleasing spot on 100 as the QWERTY
acres along the Mohawk layout. The first
River near the town Remington type-
referred to as Morgan’s writer used this The Remington factory floor at their New York location.
Landing (now Ilion) in layout before any other typewriter.
New York. With the Five years later (1873), the invention of the “Shift” key was a game-
opening of the Erie changer that added to the popularity of Remington typewriters with the
Canal, moving inventory release of the No. 2 typewriter. This feature allowed for upper and
was easier than ever, and lower case letters used for the vast variety of forms, letters, official
this spot was just right for documents, etc. now in use by the many new companies that sprouted
moving the rifle barrels up from the boom times of the Industrial Revolution.
out to clients. Another innovation for the Remington No. 2 was the addition of
E. Remington became color. Six colors made the selection based on the machine’s capabilities
E. Remington & Sons as and its color.
his children Philo, Despite its success, E Remington and Sons made the decision to
Eliphalet Remington, founder Samuel, and Eliphalet III
E. Remington Company divest of the typewriter business in 1886 by selling it to the Standard
joined their father and Typewriter Manufacturing Company. Standard had a sense for what a
helped to add to the product lines. “Remington” appeared not just on good business it had bought, and kept the Remington name on its
rifle barrels but also percussion locks (made in England), brass gun future iterations of the product.
“furniture,” or features including patch boxes and butt plates. Longarm
and revolver production took over the company’s focus in the 1840s. The Next
In 1856, the Remingtons added the manufacturing of garden and Generation(s)
agricultural implements to their list of products. During the Civil War, Following up on
Remington supplied the army with small arms. Following founder the reputation of its
Eliphalet’s death in 1861, Philo took over the firm’s management and new acquisition, the
made the ingenious decision to add the manufacturing and creation of Standard Typewriter
sewing machines and typewriters, both shown at the Philadelphia Company changed
Centennial Exposition in 1876, to the company’s product line. its business name to
Remington
The Start of a Revolution Typewriter
Even with the success of the Remington Arms Company, another engi- Company in 1902.
neering marvel became the star of the Remington name: the typewriter. Although it had
The Sholes and Glidden typewriter was the first commercially bought the rights to
successful typewriter, designed by American inventor Christopher continue using the
Latham Sholes, Samuel W. Soule, and amateur mechanic Carlos S. Remington name,
Glidden in 1866. taking it as their
In 1868, Remington took on a contract with the Sholes and company name led
Glidden typewriter company to manufacture their typewriters. With to more consumer
that successful endeavor, they moved on to produce typewriters bearing Remington No. 1 typewriter, photo: LIFE photo archive confidence in their
the Remington name based on the Sholes and Glidden typewriter with entire product line.

24 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles