Typewriter desk
Encyclopedia
A typewriter desk is an antique desk
form meant to hold a typewriter
in an efficient position for the typist. This position is usually a few inches lower than the 29 inch (73.7 cm) height of the typical antique desktop.
The first generations of typewriters, in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th, spurred the invention and production of a variety of typewriter desks.
All of the early typewriter desks were extremely sturdy affairs since typewriters were not electric and could be operated only by constant pounding on the keys. The pounding could have gradually destroyed several traditional desks.
Originally, typewriters were very costly machines which one tried to protect from dust or accidents . They were also very ungainly or even ugly to those unfamiliar with them, and getting them out of sight was useful for aesthetic reasons. Therefore early typewriter desks often had some method for hiding the typewriter or getting it out of the way within the desk, sometimes by swivelling it or turning it.
After World War I
typewriters gradually became less costly and the typewriter desk was more or less standardised in two forms: One was a small mobile desk incorporating four wheels with brakes, the other was an "L" shaped desk with a "normal" height section for reading and handwriting and a lower section for the typewriter.
See also the list of desk forms and types.
Desk
A desk is a furniture form and a class of table often used in a work or office setting for reading or writing on or using a computer. Desks often have one or more drawers to store office supplies and papers. Unlike a regular table, usually only one side of a desk is suitable to sit on . Not all...
form meant to hold a typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
in an efficient position for the typist. This position is usually a few inches lower than the 29 inch (73.7 cm) height of the typical antique desktop.
The first generations of typewriters, in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th, spurred the invention and production of a variety of typewriter desks.
All of the early typewriter desks were extremely sturdy affairs since typewriters were not electric and could be operated only by constant pounding on the keys. The pounding could have gradually destroyed several traditional desks.
Originally, typewriters were very costly machines which one tried to protect from dust or accidents . They were also very ungainly or even ugly to those unfamiliar with them, and getting them out of sight was useful for aesthetic reasons. Therefore early typewriter desks often had some method for hiding the typewriter or getting it out of the way within the desk, sometimes by swivelling it or turning it.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
typewriters gradually became less costly and the typewriter desk was more or less standardised in two forms: One was a small mobile desk incorporating four wheels with brakes, the other was an "L" shaped desk with a "normal" height section for reading and handwriting and a lower section for the typewriter.
See also the list of desk forms and types.