Typewriter Keys

Ralph Steiner American

Not on view

Seen from the vantage of electronic word processing, the revolution in communication caused by the manual typewriter is difficult to recall. The machine was a marvel that not only standardized and clarified the handwritten message but also affected the shape of thought. Thus, T.S. Eliot writing in 1916: "Composing on the typewriter, I find that I am sloughing off all my long sentences which I used to dote upon. Short, staccato, like modern French prose. The typewriter makes for lucidity, but I am not sure that it encourages subtlety...."

Typewriter Keys, Ralph Steiner (American, Cleveland 1899–1986 Hanover, New Hampshire), Gelatin silver print

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