IBM Selectric Turns 50
The IBM Selectric typewriter, that splendid icon of American industrial design devised by the eminent Eliot Noyes, turns 50 today, July 31st, 2011! In addition to its stunning good looks, the portable device's significant innovation was a small spherical type head that replaced the basket of bars in previous typewriters. The Selectric jammed far less frequently making it a dream of speed and efficiency. I had a chance to talk with Noyes's daughter Derry from the vacation home Eliot designed for the family on Martha's Vineyard about the Selectric and a recent homage she was able to make to her father and his work.
Derry Noyes is an art director for the US Postal Service, and when the chance to work on a recent set of stamps entitled Pioneers of American Industrial Design she told me, "I kinda had to put my hand up and say, 'Can I do this one?'" Collaborating with industrial designer Niels Diffrient to select the dozen objects to go on the set of stamps, and with designer Margaret Bauer of the USPS, Derry helped create set of stamps (on sale at the end of June) that any lover of iconic household objects would love.
A selection of stamps commemorating the Pioneers of American Industrial Design.
"My thought was that I'm not interested in the people behind the objects, I'm interested in what they made," Derry said. The objects themselves made may inspire more nostalgia than awe (the Selectric, at 50, is the youngest), and though many of the products will feel familiar to fans of American design, the stamps manage to skirt the obvious icons of the 20th century. "Niels was able to tell me who had the most impact as designers, even if their names aren't recognized," Derry explained.
Another challenge she faced was, quite literally, the size of a postage stamp. "All the objects we chose had to work in nearly a one-inch square, and to work in scale." She didn't want a car on one stamp and a lamp on the next, but by concentrating on common household objects she was able to narrow the set's focus.
Here's the Selectric stamp.
"You take daily objects for granted," Derry observed, and trying imbue the mundane with a bit of mystery was part of her aim, thus the sewing machine by Dave Chapman, the telephone from Henry Dreyfuss, and the clock by Gilbert Rohde.
As for the Selectric (she remembers seeing models of it all around her house as a girl and thinking "What's the big deal?"), "It's a really nice coincidence that this year is the 50th anniversary. I didn't plan that."
You should plan on picking up a set of stamps. And you should use them. Neither Noyes wanted their work to sit on the shelf.
Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!
Products
-
Record Houses of 1971
We pretty much never tire of books that compile modern houses. Generally there are some well known designers featured (Lautner, Jaffe, Noyes) but books like this one are also a great place to…
-
Homemade Cookie Stamp
This adorable stamp puts the age-old question to rest, "did you make these from scratch?" Skip the pre-made cookie aisle and pull out Grandma's famous sugar cookie recipe, because you…
-
Speedball Speedy Stamp Carving Kit
Stamping is a blast, and it's genuinely easy to do with little-to-zero-know how. Years ago I bought one of these Speedball kits—which come with everything you need to start carving—and…
Dwell Collection
-
Housewarming Gifts Under $50
Look no further for that awesome little gift for a friend or relative this year, this gift guide will blow your mind! Amazing design gifts for the all around cool cat that is hard to buy for. This…
Events
-
Design USA: Contemporary Innovation
This exhibition features outstanding contemporary achievements in American architecture, landscape design, interior design, product design, communication design, corporate design, interaction…
-
John Margolies: Roadside America
John Margolies: Roadside America brings together approximately 400 color photographs of Main Street signs, storefronts, movie theaters and drive-ins, gas stations, short-order restaurants, motels…
Advertising
Advertising
Advertising
Related Products
-
Record Houses of 1971
We pretty much never tire of books that…
-
Homemade Cookie Stamp
This adorable stamp puts the age-old question…
-
Speedball Speedy Stamp Carving Kit
Latest
-
05.16
The Making of Screenplay: Part 7
Jenny Wu, a partner at Oyler Wu Collaborative, documents the…
-
05.16
ICFF Preview: Plank by Eric Pfeiffer and Council
Oakland-based designer Eric Pfeiffer has been exhibiting…
-
05.14
LEGO® Design Competition Finalists
Dwell joined forces with Pacific Standard Time to appeal to…
Follow
Dwell
Reloading tweets…
Subscribe Today Don't Miss a Word of Dwell
$19.95
10 Issues / a Year
Copyright ©2004-2012 Dwell Media LLC. All rights reserved. Dwell, the Dwell logo, Dwell Homes and At Home in the Modern World are registered trademarks of Dwell Media LLC
There are times when I wish I had kept my Selectric II. But "portable" is not a term that comes to mind considering it weighed nearly 50 pounds.
On the other hand Shannon, at least there was some comfort and knowledge in knowing that you (or we) had a device that was built to stand the test of time in durability. This is in stark contrast with today's throwaway society, without any regard or thought to the future consequences as valuable resources are plundered, and the oceans get fouled, etc. We've been on the current trajectory of consumerism, probably longer than any of us have walked this earth, having won the Second World War, gave everyone a sense of entitlement and a desire for "new stuff", & "new everything". Hey, we earned it then right? The world we exist in today is very, very different and rapidly evolving & fundamentally bankrupt, I predict that there will be a renewed, conscious effort to use, refurbish, salvage, rebuild and re-use things that were perfectly functional and never had anything wrong with them in the first place. Many of these devices were best in class. In my own purchases, which isn't that often, I carefully examine things that afford the potential to be re-built, and were built minus a bean counter in the background. Dualit toasters, 50s, 60's, 70's American, Japanese & British stereo equipment come to mind-probably the high water mark for stereo equipment incidentally. Old Mercedes-Benz' or vintage Porsche' that are easy to work on and resilient & rugged. Bicycles are another example. While I love Apple, I sincerely doubt that any of that stuff will be rebuilt or overhauled in the future, however, I would love to be proved wrong. A red IBM Selectric is class all the way:)
i still have a green one (my surname is Green!) -- albeit in a closet. until relatively recently, i used it to type envelopes and labels. but it's so heavy and cumbersome (and also the ball also sticks). is there somewhere i can donate it? Anybody have an idea?
I'm right there with you Duncan. I drive a 23 year old Mercedes, and cherish the vintage Danish teak furniture I inherited from my parents. They embody both quality workmanship and timeless design and they will endure long into the future. I wish I could say that about all of my possessions. My only point was that the author's use of the term portable is odd as I remember how much I dreaded having to move my Selectric because it was nearly 50 pounds.
RSS Feed
Add a Comment