My name is Alan Seaver, and I've collected typewriters for over 20 years. The collection you are about to see spans 100 years of typewriter evolution from around the world. Although considered unremarkable devices by many, typewriters have an integral place in the development of modern culture. From great authors to world leaders to housewives to businessmen, almost everyone used one. But far from a mere tool, the purchase of a typewriter was often a very personal decision, much like picking out a car, and typewriters often reflect their owners' personalities. Take for instance the green Royal standard with cursive script; the flashy Royal DeLuxe portable; or the utilitarian, no-nonsense Corona Four, which came with documents that indicate it was owned by a farming couple. There is the ultra-compact, ultra-light Hermes Rocket that was carried on many travels through Central America by a New Orleans-based minister, and the folding Erika that was brought to America by a young German woman so she could write letters back home, and the Erika 5 that was brought back by an American GI at the end of WWII. Every one has a story to tell.

Today, "keychoppers" (those who remove the keys for jewelry and other crafts) are diminishing the number of surviving typewriters at an alarming rate. Someday, machines like these that have been preserved by collectors may be the only ones left.