What typewriter did Ansel Adams use? Weston?

[Darin Boville]

An odd question, I know, but I figure this board is just the place to find people who would know.

I'm looking for the model of typewriter that Ansel used. At any time in his life would be fine but ideally just before he switched over to word processors in the old days with green text on the screen. I'd also love a link to text that identifies the typewriter in the Ansel context and even better a photograph showing the typewriter.

Also, for Weston (did he even use a typewriter)?

Not idle curiosity--I'm using this information for a project I'm working on. Also. I'll update people in the typewriter history world with whatever info I find.

Thanks,

--Darin

[Bob Salomon]

If you find that he used a Hermes Rocket portable let me know! We found a working one from the 50s cleaning up for our garage sale!

The reason he may have used one of these is that it and Hasselblad were both distributed by Paillard back then.

[j.e.simmons]

I don't think Weston used a typewriter. Charis used an L.C. Smith desktop model. There's a photo of it, taken I believe, by Beaumont Newhall.

[Alan9940]

I believe Ansel used an IBM Selectric during his later years of writing.

[Darin Boville]

I don't think Weston used a typewriter. Charis used an L.C. Smith desktop model. There's a photo of it, taken I believe, by Beaumont Newhall.

Ahhh, outstanding. Found a smaller image of it on Google. Do you know here I might find a large image? I can identify the typewriter from the Google image but I'd love to be able to read the text....

--Darin

[Darin Boville]

I believe Ansel used an IBM Selectric during his later years of writing.

Any idea if it was a Selectric I or a later model? Color? Any pictures of it?

--Darin

[j.e.simmons]

I think I found the Wilson image in a book - maybe Through Another Lens. I'm out of town, but I'll look when I get home in a couple of days.
Now that I think about it, the movie made about Edward and Charisma showed her using a portable typewriter on the fender of their Ford. I'll look for that, too.

[Alan9940]

Any idea if it was a Selectric I or a later model? Color? Any pictures of it?

--Darin

Sorry, no idea. I know I've seen a picture of him sitting at it in his office, but I looked through a few of my books and couldn't find it. It may also be a still grab on one of the videos I have...like finding the proverbial needle I'm afraid.

[stawastawa]

I am fairly certain there is an image of Ansel's office in one of his bookes "the print" or "the camera". forget which.
I may be confusing this with a slide that Alan Ross presented in a lecture at the portland museum of art in 2014. I Imagine Alan would respond to an inquiry.
http://www.alanrossphotography.com/ansel-adams/in-the-darkroom-with-ansel-adams/

[Greg]

Editor's Notes from ANSEL ADAMS Letters and Images 1916-1984
"He began consistently writing letters during his teenage summers in Yosemite. Handwritten, they were difficult to read and laborious to write, he thus quickly adopted at the typewriter. He traveled with a portable model....."

Also in one of the films made about him, he was seated with the typewriter in the background or by his side. Have no idea as to which film I saw this in.

[Merg Ross]

Ahhh, outstanding. Found a smaller image of it on Google. Do you know here I might find a large image? I can identify the typewriter from the Google image but I'd love to be able to read the text....

--Darin

Darin, the text is the beginning of Chapter Seven of California and the West.

"August twenty-fourth we were back at Tenaya, pitching our tent ..............................................................................................................." The only change from the typed manuscript is the substitution of comas for parentheses in the final draft.

[John Kasaian]

This one?
154650
http://raymondparkerphoto.com
Hmmm.....maybe not

[Darin Boville]

Thanks for all the help so far. I did make a little progress on my own. In the 1958 documentary on Ansel they do briefly show his typewriter. It is an IBM Model 11C (I think). A partial picture attached. (Have one to sell? Contact me...)

In addition in an oral history recorded in the 1970s he mentions having an IBM (probably a Selectric, he doesn't say). Finally, in the Mary Street Alinder bio (which is excellent, by the way) she talks about convincing him to *not* use his typewriter but to use an early IBM word processor instead during the writing of his autobiography. There is a picture of Ansel Jim Alinder shot showing Ansel seated in front of an early word processor (green text on black screen).

On the other hand there is mention of him using a "small typewriter" and a "portable" typewriter, which cannot possibly be the IBMs.

Have any more info? I'd love to hear it....

--Darin

154656

[Steve Goldstein]

Somewhere I have a (typed, of course) letter from Ansel sent in the early 1980s. It was most definitely not typed on a Selectric, there are way too many imperfections in the letter impressions.

[tonyowen]

From p210 of Ansel Adams - An Autobiography "She [Mary] encouraged the purchase of an IBM Display-writer ......."
regards
Tony

[John Kasaian]

Why am I thinking that back a dozen years or so, an Ansel Adams Gallery on Cannery Row in Monterey had a display of some of Ansel's tools---a couple of cameras and a typewriter.
I could be wrong about this, but Mike Adams could probably tell you what typewriters he remembers his dad using. You may be able to send him a query via the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite Valley. John Sexton may also know.
Good luck!