Did you know that typewriters could be laptops too? The Blickensderfer, or the "Blick" was the very first truly portable typewriter. It was manufactured in Stamford, Connecticut by the Blickensderfer Typewriter Company between 1893 and 1919. Several advancements were made between the Blick 1 and the Blick 5. The most notable advancements included the first automatic spacing, line spacing and an automatic carriage return that was operated with a key. The Blick had a scientific keyboard that placed the most commonly used letters (DHIATENSOR) on the bottom row, closest to the typist. A "QWERTY" keyboard, the layout you use today, could be installed if requested by the customer.
Ellis W. Brown donated The Blickensderfer no. 5 to the History Center in 1964. Mr. Brown moved to Ithaca around 1933 and was a printer for the Ithaca Journal.