Typewriters

From the collection of Rylie Innes

Rylie Innes's typewriter collection in her own words:

"When I was little, I would dream about what it would've been like to live in earlier times. I adored history class and out field trips to the museum downtown."

Smith Corona Sterling - photograph of a slate blue typewriter with bright white keys mounted on black key levers

Rylie Innes Typewriter Labels_Page_06.jp

Rylie Innes Typewriter Labels_Page_02.jp

Royal Mariner - photograph of a small, powder blue typewriter with white keys mounted on silver key levers.

"I would watch American Pickers with my dad and be in awe over the marvels they would find. I took such curiosity in how people used to do things, and how items themselves used to be. I dreamed of visiting places like Greenfield Village in Dearborn and Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. Visiting the Smithsonian has been on my bucket list since I was in middle school! Being so fascinated with history, I wanted to be a "picker" myself!"

Remington Noiseless 10 - photograph of a large matte-black typewriter with black keys mounted on black key levers.

Rylie Innes Typewriter Labels_Page_10.jp

Rylie Innes Typewriter Labels_Page_04.jp

Deluxe Model 5 - photograph of a matte-black typewriter with glossy black keys mounted on black key levers.

"But one day when I was eleven, my grandparents surprised me with their 1960's Royal HH typewriter. It was a big, clunky, dusty and very heavy machine that my little self couldn't even pick up! Needless to say, it was love at first sight. I was so fascinated by its mechanisms- they were so intricate! That typewriter turned out to be my proudest possession at the time. I spent hours cleaning it after it had spent decades in storage. Little did I know that over the next 11 years my love for typewriters grew so much that I now have a family of twelve, including the typewriter's distant cousin, a vintage Stenotype."

Royal HH - photograph of a dark gray typewriter with dark green keys mounted on black key levers.

Rylie Innes Typewriter Labels_Page_01.jp

Rylie Innes Typewriter Labels_Page_09.jp

Tower Commander - photograph of a tan typewriter with dark green keys mounted on black key levers.

"There used to be a part of me that was self-conscious about my quirky love, but my friends and family encouraged me to pursue my love for preserving such an interesting part of history. I even became known as the girl who would do her schoolwork on a typewriter! But today, I have the honor of getting to display my passion here at the museum, something my ten-year-old self could only dream of!"

SL 600 Electric - photograph of a medium gray electronic typewriter with white, square-shaped keys. The keyboard resembles more contemporary keyboards.

Rylie Innes Typewriter Labels_Page_07.jp

Rylie Innes Typewriter Labels_Page_05.jp

Smith Corona Galaxie - photograph of a medium gray typewriter with ivory keys in a modern keyboard configuration.