In the late 1800s, something needed to be done to improve efficiency. A writer with a pen was limited to about 30 words per minute. In Des Moines of the 1880’s a lot of time and money was put into experimentation to perfect a typewriter. Finally, in 1892 that typewriter was ready for the market.

George Jewett founded the Jewett Typewriter Company. It’s offices and factory were at 608 Locust in downtown Des Moines. A few months later the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago. The Manufacturer’s Building at the Fair was a showcase for American products. If a company won a Columbian medal in product competitions, it was a blessing for product recognition and a huge present for a company’s advertising department. In the months following the Fair, advertisements always boasted about awards and proudly pointed out, for example that this product was, “1st place.” The Jewett typewriter received the highest award at the Fair. Suddenly, the typewriter was in high demand. Seven years later at The Paris Exhibition it would receive the Gold Medallion Award. The Jewett typewriter sold for $100, comparable to today’s computer. The company rose to over 200 employees with a weekly payroll of $2,500. Today the Jewett Typewriter, once called “Best in the World,” fetches over $900 on E-bay.

Germany became one of the favorite customers of the Jewett typewriter. In one week in January 1899, The Jewett Company received orders for 87 typewriters for the German Government and 30 typewriters for the U.S. government. The Germania typewriter was manufactured in Germany with parts imported from Des Moines. On one of his last trips to Europe, Jewett sold his last typewriter to Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany. In 1903 the Kaiser Wilhelm Ocean Liner was the first to have typewriting accommodations at sea. A decade letter the typewriters in Washington D.C. and Berlin would become an instrument of war against each other.

The Jewett typewriter can be seen at the Typewriter Museum in Helsinki, the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and the State Historical Building in Des Moines.

Posted under Living Downtown
Tags: Blast from the Past