Mystery Machine!

[Dave Hughes]

Anyone know what this typesetting machine is? I know the pic is not very good, it was taken from Ebay, someone selling photocopies of an old postcard!




REAL PHOTO CONCORDIA KANSAS LINOTYPE MACHINE WOMAN POSTCARD COPY

Not sure if this is a similar machine, from a different angle here:



I have no idea what it is, so there's no "right" answer. Educated guesses and idle speculation welcome!

[John Cornelisse]

This machine is a typograph, Linotype did not like the idea of concurrence, and thet bought the compagny.

When you would like to see these machines just make a visit to the Printing Museum in Leipzig, Germany.

[Keri Szafir]

I wouldn't be so sure. The diagonal "frame" looks similar, but there are some large differences between how both machines are constructed.

Here's a Typograph:





There are no large flywheels on the left, the keyboard is different...

[Dave Hughes]

I don't think it's a Typograph either.

The Typograph was operated from the standing position with the keyboard in the centre of the machine. The mystery machine seems to be operated from a seated position, very much to the right of the machine

[Mechanic]

They are all versions of Linotype Junior. J R Rogers modified the Typograph, when he went to work for Mergenthaler, to make the Linotype Junior. It went through various stages of development until the Linotype keyboard was added.

Linotypia has some info. but it is in Italian :-

http://www.linotipia.it/linotype.htm

[Dave Hughes]

Yes, it seems to be a Linotype Junior.

Similar to this one on Georgio Coraglia's excellent site:

[John Cornelisse]

It is just what you call it,

Linotype bought the inventor of the typograph out, to finish the competition with the typograph compagny.

He was left some time with his old invention, but the main purpose of Lintype was to end the Typograph completely. And so it happened.