Typewriter or Typographer?
Will Foster
College History
John Noel
November 25, 2013
William Austin Burt
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“An innovator in every sense of the word,”
Born: June 17,1792
At a young age, Burt had an interest in
“mathematics, navigation, astronomy, and
natural philosophy.”
As a result of his interests, “it was only
natural that he would have a career in land
survey, which was becoming a popular and
necessary trade in those early days of the
United States.”
Burt (cont’d))
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In 1822, Burt moved to Michigan and he
became the United States Deputy Surveyor.
He then created a solar compass;
“It was a precise instrument that helped to
solve many issues that surveyors encountered
while using magnetic compasses.”…
But it did not make its debut until much later.
The solar compass brought Burt great
admiration and fame nationwide as a surveyor.
Solar Compass
Burt (cont’d)
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The compass was used in the Michigan
Survey, “to resurvey the boundary between
Wisconsin and Michigan after a dispute
arose regarding their border.”
Later, Burt invented the typographer, “the
first known typewriter.”
William Austin Burt
The Typographer
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Known as the “forerunner” to the typewriter.
Or, “the predecessor to the modern-day
typewriter.”
Invented in 1829
Sometimes listed as the first typewriter, but it
was only “the first writing mechanism whose
invention was documented.”
Construction of the Typographer
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The typographer only printed one solitary
letter after another.
Even in the hands of the inventor, the
typographer was slower than handwriting.
The mechanism was a heavy, rectangular
wooden box that stood twelve-inches high
and wide, and stretched eighteen-inches in
length.
Construction (cont’d)
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The typographer had printed words mounted on a
metal wheel, with a turning, falcate frame.
By turning the crank, Burt was able to shift the wheel
until it came to the character he wanted. Instead of
using keys to select a character, the typographer
used a dial.
Then, he would yank a lever, which drove the
character against the paper making an inked imprint;
the characters could have been upper or lower case.
On the typographer was a gauge that favored a
clock on the front of it.
Construction (cont’d)
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The gauge indicated
if the page was
more or less filled.
The paper was on a
belt and the belt
rotated when the
impression lever
was pushed down.
Burt Demonstrating the Typographer
The Patent
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On July 23, 1829, Burt’s typographer was
patented as U.S. patent No. 5581X.
The patent was signed by President Andrew
Jackson. Burt and his promoter Sheldon
never found a buyer for the patent, and it
was never marketable.
It was never commercially produced because
it used a dial rather than keys to select a
character.
The Patent
“Image of the first
patent issued for a
typewriter, July
23, 1829, to
William Austin
Burt, a Michigan
surveyor and
inventor. It was
signed personally
by President
Andrew Jackson.”
Patent Drawing of the Typographer
First Letter Ever Written on
Typographer
Works Cited (Information)
Brennecke, Caitlin "William Austin Burt" Detroit Historical.
http://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/burt-william-austin
(accessed November 23, 2013).
"Typewriter of the moment: July 23, 1829 William A. Burt’s typographer
patented" Millard Fillmore's Bathtub.
http://timpanogos.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/typewriter-of-the-momentjuly-23-1829-william-a-burts-typographer-patented/ (accessed November 23,
2013).
Works Cited (Pictures)
"Burt Typographer, 1829. | Stock Photo #1895-4903." Burt Typographer,
1829. Super Stock, 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2013
"Detroit Retro." : It Came from Detroit. Detroit Retro, n.d. Web. 23 Nov.
2013.
"Typewriter of the moment: July 23, 1829 William A. Burt’s typographer
patented" Millard Fillmore's Bathtub.
http://timpanogos.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/typewriter-of-themoment-july-23-1829-william-a-burts-typographer-patented/
(accessed November 23, 2013).