Ford Typewriter

The Ford typewriter was introduced in 1895 by Eugene A. Ford, who later became chief development engineer at IBM (no relation to Henry Ford who founded the Ford Motor Company). Unlike many competing typewriters of this time, it was a forward-striking machine, meaning the type-bars moved forward against the paper which was held against the platen. This allowed the typist to see the text as it was typed, which was not possible in most other typewriters of the time. It was the first typewriter to use aluminum in its construction. Ford typewriters were made in limited numbers and today are sought after by collectors.