Heralded as “The Only Successful Machine That Writes in Sight” by the Woodstock Sentinel in 1901, the Oliver typewriter was certainly successful, but it did not stand alone. Underwood was manufacturing the Number 5, and its success would ultimately outpace the Oliver. By the late 1920s, the Oliver, with its ingenious yet quirky design, would prove unsuccessful. (One typewriter repairman related to me that Olivers were painfully difficult to maintain, the adjustments being too finicky.) Still, as an early “visible” typewriter, the Oliver occupies a significant place in the history and development of the invention.
The Woodstock Sentinel wrote extensively about the Oliver in this article, published December 19, 1901 – click here (paywall). Some images are posted below:
© 2023, Mark Adams. All rights reserved.
The factory looks so dark in these images.