The Underwood Standard N° 5 was one of the most popular and widely used typewriters of the early 20^th century. The Underwood Typewriter Company produced this particular model between 1899 and 1933, but it remained in use long after that because it was easy to operate and repair.

The reason why this particular typewriter is part of the MNAHA’s collection, however, is more noteworthy. This was the typewriter used by Eugénie Wilhelm, to create, among many other documents, the inventory of the museum’s collections. Wilhelm was hired in 1942 for her excellent drawing skills with which she was tasked to document the collection. Thanks to her attention to detail and sense of organisation, she soon moved onto bigger projects and began creating lists and detailed inventories of the objects using this trusted typewriter, likely until her retirement in 1980.

Having played such a crucial role in the documentation of the museum’s collection, it was only fitting that after Wilhelm retired, the typewriter – replaced by a newer, likely electronic, model – should become part of that very same collection.

Text | CC BY-NC | Edurne Kugeler