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OLIVETTI STUDIO 44 - GOTHIKA
I was shooting my 1952 Studio 44 one bright Sunday noon when suddenly, a freak thunderstorm ensued and covered Chicago in an eerie blanket of darkness. The storm splattered rain on my window backdrop and the flashing red lights of a passing fire truck completed what turned out to be an unplanned gothic Studio 44 portrait. Quite poetically, this photo marks the beginning of a self-imposed "Olivetti typewriter chastity" that will last for five months. But what constitutes "chastity?" Read on...
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Last March, I drafted a set of collecting rules for myself that I called "Dogma 12" after the Scandinavian film movement known as "Dogma 95." The move to set parameters for myself was driven both by preference and necessity. Preference: I have always tried to maintain a kind of Zen minimalism in my lifestyle; I have difficulty creating psychological space for more "stuff." Necessity: I am an apartment dweller and I have difficulty creating physical space for more "stuff." Question is, how faithful was I in keeping to the rules of Dogma 95? Let's take a look at my Faithfulness/Unfaithfulness meter.
FAITHFUL:
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| Pretty self explanatory; I am not interested in electric typewriters (although I do appreciate them), but truth be told, I've been tempted a couple of times by the Sotssas-designed Olivetti Praxis. |
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Well, I definitely let go of a number of typewriters- through the barter system or simply offering them as gifts -to accommodate new ones. I've also made a conscious effort not to acquire just any typewriter simply because they're cheap and they're there; I tried to keep to a certain aesthetic standard.
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The six that have found
excellent new homes:
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| I think I deserve a medal for being darn faithful to dogma no. 8 and no. 9.; my blood is "Type O" for Olivetti! A measure of success for no. 10 (although Glasgow-made Olivettis have eluded me) and no 11 (I consider my carriage-shifted Olympia Socialite to be an astonishing beauty!) |
The cool
plastic Olivettis:
UNFAITHFUL:
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| I landed my first standard, the sexy Lexikon 80, while waiting for my flight back to Chicago at Schipol Airport. Could you blame me? Nope. I got an added dose of motivation when Adwoa, who had set her own dogma to collect only portables, acquired a Graphika. Together we fall! Of course, no. 3 is the dogma that nobody thought I would be able to keep. You were right, dagnabbit, the whole lot of you! Present Olivetti count: 12. That's cheating because I do have other typewriters in the minority. |
The sexy standard:
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| I am sorry to admit that one typewriter is responsible for my unfaithfulness to Dogma no. 6 and no. 7: Olivetti Lettera 12. For all its Jetson coolness, it leaves much to be desired in terms of function and feel. |
Will I find an affordable Valentine
that passes dogma no. 6 and no. 7?
12. I shall appreciate the challenge and the freedom of limitation, abiding by DOGMA 12 in the spirit of fun. Yay.
Does it mean that there is no chance for me to acquire new additions to my collection during said period? No it doesn't. I will keep the collection moving through Dogma no. 4. The principle is simple: gain one, lose one. And there are two ways to go about this: swap or donate (selling does not interest me in the least). And hey, I have enough cool Olivettis in the corral to dote over and spend quality time with. They deserve it.
This grail might
shake things up:
Am I alone in setting collection rules or do you have parameters yourself?
'Fess up, folks!
* Typecast via Olivetti Studio 44
'Fess up, folks!
* Typecast via Olivetti Studio 44
17 comments:
I do have certain 'guidelines' that I have to start following- mostly for the lack of space. I also stick to manual machines, I don't entirely like the idea of an electric. I have started a 'wishlist' of machines that are extremely appealing to me and am going to start making a point of searching for them, even though I realize that it may take me a while. I want my collection to be purposeful, and like you said, not buying typewriters just because they're there. For now I am content with what I have, and I'm hoping that the search will be just as rewarding as if and when I can actually find them.
Rules are always good to have...and to break. I don't really have any specific rules as to typewriter collecting, but I am slowly gaining unwritten parameters. Considering these parameters is what allowed me to walk away from that Wellington 2 today. It is not something I am really looking for and, while awesome, I really doubt I will get much USE out of it. Currently, I am shying away from the older (amazing!) machines, and going for more reasonable typewriters that I can actually use to write letters and fiction. Keeping this in mind has influenced most of my recent purchases (HEY! I may just use that Ideal for some letters, damnit!).
Those early Olivetti's (be they portables or the elusive standards) could make any man break a promise or leave his wife...that's just the state of things. They are absolutely glorious. Hell, I absolutely LOVE the Graphika...I'm not sure what I would do if I found one of the early standards.
Good luck with your chastity! I don't really mean that, of course, because I love to see your new machines...but I will offer support even in empty words!
Good luck with your self-imposed diet! Just stay off ebay and you should be fine. We can watch for your M1 and let you know. You might also use the Adwoa method of photographing the ones you see in the wild rather than buying them. It's really helped me slow down.
The only rule that I seem to have is that I have no rules.
This has definitely gotten me into typewriter trouble over my past year of collecting!
Yes, I am the "Cat Lady of Typewriters", who happens to reside in a male body. So far I have managed to resist intervention.
I am not a typewriter collector but a collector of mid-century modern glass. I need a dogma because things are quickly getting out of hand. e.g. I collect ONLY mid-century modern green glass vases. I will include turquoise if it is particularly beautiful. You get the general idea.
"Together we fail"; love it! As a fellow apartment dweller you can certainly understand my initial resistance to getting a standard; and as an Olivetti fan, of course you can see why I caved for the Graphika!
I like your rules - a bit stricter than the ones I have set myself, I think, although mine are unwritten. Which means I have to remind myself of them constantly each time I stumble upon something intriguing and cheap (10 franc turquoise Studio 45, for example). But, just because it's there is not a good reason to buy anything.
Your five-month moratorium seems a bit arbitrary, as long as you are abiding by Dogma 4. However, I can understand wanting to put the brakes on lest you get something you don't absolutely love and end up having to get rid of something else you like a lot in order to make room for it. Still, your current Olivetti wishlist (M40 and Valentine) are scarce enough (reasonably priced, that is), that you should sail through the five months without too much temptation... good luck!
I have no problem setting rules for my collections, because I know I'm a masterful rationalizer. :)
This is just great!
I set some rules a few months back to limit getting more machines. They also had to work. I did get a Studio 44 that did not and still does not work, but I am working on that. Very slowly though -- too many irons in the fire.
I find keeping the rule for more has been quite easy. I gave some away to make room for more of the ones I would rather have or keep and I have less space in this tiny house than most people have in their apartments. Finally I need to carefully watch my extra money for my wife's medical bills since Obamacare raised my rates and reduced my benefits. (not unexpected)
You ascetic, you!
My only rule is that a typewriter must excite me, but that's all too easy to do. Recently I've sold a number of machines and given others away, so the count has dropped -- a little.
PS: Wonderful photo of the typewriter during the storm!
@Natalia, thanks, welcome here. Nice to see a new typospherian joining us. Space is really a major consideration, isn't it. "A collection that's purposeful" is exactly what I'm aiming for.
@Ken, you have such a tiny collection that you don't really need limits right now. (:
@Peter, unfortunately, typewriters only exist in captivity in Chicago, they're extinct in the wild. But please be my eyes and find me an M1... shhh.
@Cameron a.k.a. "cat lady of typewriters" hahaha!
@Rebecca, nice of you to drop by, thanks for the comment. I think going by color is a great idea, my mother collects only blue-and-white porcelain.
@Adwoa, I knew I would get support from someone who had stared at the abyss of chastity and lived to tell the tale! (: The Valentine and M1 (so it's even more rare than M40) are indeed scarce BUT that's what I said about my other grails- Ico, Lexikon 80, Studio 42, and I now have all of them! Anyway, we shall see.
@Dana, haha, I bet you are!
@Bill, I think cost will always be a consideration for many of us. Those who find typewriters in the wild- Peter, Richard, Cameron, Ken, and the entire neutral state of Switzerland are very lucky indeed!
@Richard, yes, less is less and I like it. (: Well, you're not really just a collector but a custodian of typewriter history. Seriously. The storm made the pic way more interesting than I planned!
@Luis, thanks!
LOVE the storm photo!
Thanks, Ping!
My rules are relatively simple: Typewriters must be manual, should work - I really don't have space for dead ones - and must have a case. Also, prices must be reasonable. And no duplicates. So somehow, the rate of additions to the collection has come down in the last months, and my space issues aren't getting any worse.
That is one beautiful picture at the top.
Stay Classy,
-Will
ccrtypewriter.blogspot.com
@Florian, @William, thanks for your comments.
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