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| A vintage photo of a Studio 44 alongside other Olivetti typewriters and office machines in a showroom in Italy. |
The taupe variant is the older of the two, it was made in 1952 (serial# 135349), the year Studio 44 debuted in the market, at Olivetti's Ivrea factory in Turin, Italy. The turquoise variant was made in 1965 (serial# 325030) at the allied Hispano Olivetti plant in Barcelona, Spain. Interesting historical note: the later model already bears the Olivetti-Underwood label (the "Studio 44" name was relegated to the back label), Olivetti acquired controlling interest of Underwood in 1963.
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| A small but not insignificant improvement in the later Barcelona model on the left- a longer return lever. |
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| "Sleek fluid lines and a low profile," characterize Nizzoli's sculptural design aesthetic. |
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My two-tone re-styling:
Gemelli or gemelos (twins) sharing color-coordinated clothes.
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| A Typewriter Named Desire Famous Studio 44 fan: Tennessee Williams, playwright. |
The Olivetti Studio 44 fan club (myself included, of course):
Florian of Maschinengeschreiben
Miguel C. of Modernidad y Obsolescencia
Peter B. of Manual EntryMike C. of clickthing
Ken C. of Swinging Typebars
Andrea of trOx-a musical project
If I missed you, please stand up and be counted.
* References:
Philippe Garner, Sixties Design (Taschen, 2003), and Revolution on a Keyboard. Vintage photos from Ugo Mulas and Foster Kamer.
* Typecast via Olivetti Studio 44 (1952 and 1965). I accidentally deleted my archived post on Studio 44. Rats. This is one of a number of ways I'll be making up for it.
26 comments:
Two very nice twins, I still prefer the taupe variant :-)
Very nice typewriters. I recently received a turquoise one that is awaiting a cleaning. I hope to get one of the taupe ones too. The two tone creation is great.
Strangely, this was the only Olivetti whose styling I couldn't stand. Why? Those teeth on the front of it above the keyboard. Always reminded me of a sperm whale. Lovely machine, though, I bought the restyled Underwood 21 in the early 70's. Just couldn't take the styling on this. RK/TX
You can add me. I have three - one is in the Strike Force. That's quite a score. I've never seen one of the 50's models. Impressive!
A lovely obsession and your enthusiasm for the 44 is becoming infectious - heeelp....mmmust visit the 'Bay...
@tr0x, I think I agree with you, overall, the taupe wins by a small margin (Go Italy!).
@Bill, great to hear, can;t wait for your post about it.
@RK/TX, welcome here. To me, that is a sophisticated design detail.
@Peter, thanks, I was expecting a 60's model so I was ecstatic to get this, a happy find indeed! Funny that you missed reading your own name and post link on the Studio 44 fan list.
@Rob, welcome to the club, now the UK is ably represented!
Absolutely love the photo work here, Ton! I, too, love the lines of the 44. I don't enjoy typing on my 44 so much though - find the action too rigid.
I love this post. Great design and beautiful machines. Thanks for all the info.
Fantastic photos as always, and I agree, the Studio 44 is a fantastic machine to type on. Interesting to see they also came in other colors besides the familiar turquoise.
Congratulations on the new addition to your stable of Olivettis!
The comparison photos are excellent. It's very interesting how there were subtle design changes over the years.
LOL sure enough there I am!
It's a striking piece of design, to be sure.
I notice that the arrows on the backspacers point in different directions. I always felt that a left-pointing arrow was more intuitively correct, even though the carriage moves right when you push the key. I also prefer the earlier black keys to the later gray ones.
@Ledeaux, thanks! Oops, I was presumptuous to tag you a fan. ( : "Typing feel" is really a subjective thing. Funny though that I enjoy both the resistance in the Studio 44 and the effortlessness of a Hermes.
@Luis, glad you found the post interesting.
@Miguel, I was 100% sure that you would agree with me! I don't know for sure but I wonder if the taupe variants are all older than the turquoise.
@Cameron, indeed. There are other minute differences that I noticed but the lever is the most apparent.
@Richard, oh wow, it's keen of you to notice that. I agree with you on the arrow direction. And yes, the black keys and just the general color scheme of the 1952 variant look better.
The taupe one might have a more desirable typeface, but it's not turquoise! I always buy my old technology based on how it looks. :-) Love your two-tone restyling.
Wow, I'm first on the list - to honour your new find, I just typed a post on my (taupe) Studio 44. I see that the newer one has a postcard holder (which reminds me of the one from the SM-3), that's a good improvement.
You know what could be a perfect match for your Studio 44s? A Lettera 22. Same features as the Lettera 32, but the older model is a lot sturdier, with a cast-aluminum frame that makes it very robust. If you like typing on a Lettera 32, the feel of an older Lettera 22 is, IMO, a lot better. And they look fantastic next to the Studio 44. XD
Great pictures! I am more partial to the turquoise model, but that is a very attractive typewriter, indeed. I have only used my recently acquired Studio 44 for some light typing and testing, but I must say that I was impressed by the results. You are so very right about the resistance with the keys, but it really gives you a feel of quality in the machines.
I love that the direction of the backspace key changed through the years. I can understand the use of both of the symbols equally, and it is nice to see the same machine using both.
Great post. Makes me want to whip out my 44 and do some typing!
@Lauren, lol! Actually, I love them quite equally, the black keys just provide a more fetching contrast. For me, at least. Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment, haven't seen you here in a while.
@Florian, I've always known you to be a Studio 44 believer (from your posts, comments), and the only one I know who owns a taupe variant (Adwoa sold hers, I recall). Thanks for sharing in the joy, bud!
@Miguel, you read my mind, completely agree! Actually, I've typed on a 22 and never on a 32. But I don't want to give away too many hints of my future Olivetti surprises. ( :
@Ken, I just made you a Studio 44 fan club member in a snap! I picked up your admiration from that major weekend find of yours. Yes, keep them Studio 44 typebars swinging and post a typecast!
aww look at them, congratulations on your beauties! and its only natural to have a secret favorite :)))
Beautiful photos, as usual. I love the two-tone styling. Another great post.
okay i am now convinced to put this machine on my wishlist.
so many positive comments about this typewriter from virtually every typosphere blog across the board!
I have to agree with Richard about the backspace arrow. Those can be confusing. It's a lot like mouse-scrolling, where the direction is sometimes indicative of the screen-page movement, and other times it's indicative of the viewers perspective.
@b.c., shhhh. ( :
@Dana, thanks, I got a kick out of the two tone.
@michaeliany, good to hear from you, hope you join the club.
@streamlines, per Richard, counterflow would be the better arrow.
Can you give any cleaning tips? I just got one and I don't want to mess it up while cleaning it.
@Kathleen, for dust and grime, I use a cloth dipped in very diluted dishwashing (manual) detergent. For smaller parts, I use q-tips dipped sparingly in WD-40. But I do not lubricate the typebars/keys with WD-40, which gums up over time. I use PB blaster spray (do this in a room with ventilation, strong chemical odor that lasts a few hours). Finally, I use machine oil only to lubricate the carriage rails.
There are tons of suggestions here:
http://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-restoration.html
Wonderful site, and information. I just purchased an Olivetti Underwood in excellent condition, from a thrift store for 12.00. In today's high tech world, the vintage items are are forgotten, but this is a beautiful item. I'm really feeling Mr. Williams ;D
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