Peter Mitterhofer

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Peter Mitterhofer

Peter Mitterhofer (born September 20, 1822 in Partschins , Tyrol ; † August 27, 1893 there ) was an Austrian carpenter and known as the inventor and designer of various early typewriters . Christopher Latham Sholes and Carlos Glidden had technical details of his developments patented in the USA in 1868 independently of Mitterhofer as an in-house development and created the basis for the series production of the first usable typewriters.

Life

House and workshop from 1862 to 1893

Peter Mitterhofer was born as the son of the carpenter and leaseholder of the saw in the parish of Partschins, Peter Mitterhofer, and his wife Anna, née Gschwenter. He attended the local village school.

Mitterhofer learned the joinery and carpentry trade in his father's house . After he had worked at home for a long time, he went to the craftsman's roller in 1849 , where he among other things. Toured Austria , Germany , Switzerland and France . By 1860 at the latest he was back in Partschins and lived in the Teisenhaus, which earned him the nickname Teisenpeter . In 1862 he married the widowed 46-year-old carpenter's daughter Marie Steidl and took over the carpentry in Partschins, which was brought into the marriage. This house is under monument and ensemble protection .

In addition to his work as a carpenter, the musical man appeared as a singer and ventriloquist and built some musical instruments , some of which he had thought up himself , including a wooden glachter (wooden laughter). It was a piano-like device in which little hammers hit wooden leaves, creating sounds that are reminiscent of human laughter. Experts suspect that this instrument inspired Mitterhofer to invent the typewriter. He also invented a wheelbarrow that could be easily converted into a backpack, and - when his wife became seriously ill and struggled to run the household - a washing machine .

The developments in his typewriters

In 1864 Mitterhofer began developing his first typewriter, which he improved with further models until 1869.

Model 1 - 1864 - Vienna model

1864, Peter Mitterhofer's typewriter

His first machine, the "Wiener Modell 1864", had 30 keys. She only wrote capital letters from the point of a needle that perforated the paper clamped in a frame from below. However, the result was unsatisfactory because the paper tore. Obviously, the device was only meant to be used as an experiment. The director of the Merano Museum, Franz Innerhofer , bought it in 1905 from Mitterhofer's heirs and donated it to the Technical Museum in Vienna in 1913 , where it has stood since then. One replica is in the Typewriter Museum in Partschins and one in the Museum of Historic Typewriters of the Stenographers' Association 1925 Treysa e. V. in Schwalmstadt .

Model 2 - 1865 - Dresden model

Model in the Technical Collections Dresden

The second machine, the "Dresden Model", is in the Dresden Technical Collections . It has essentially the same design features as the first model and is mainly made of wood , only metal was used for the type basket and the types . The types of these first models were composed of broken needles and perforated the paper.

A replica is in the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

Model 3 - 1866 - missing

With the third model, Mitterhofer set off for Vienna at the end of 1866 in order to receive support from Emperor Franz Joseph I to perfect the invention. He presented them to the Imperial Court of Vienna on December 18, 1866. In the description of the machine attached to the written application, Mitterhofer wrote as follows:

“This apparatus forms a regular rectangular body, 30 inches long , 14 inches wide, and 11 inches high; the outer cladding of the device is made of wood, towards the top the device is opened lengthways for use by a sliding cover. […]
The main advantages of the apparatus are as follows:
1. By using it, the time is gained through the faster production of the writing; the writing is always equally beautiful and equally clear and uniform, and incidentally requires the fourth part of space from the usual chancellery handwriting; therefore a significant saving in paper is achieved and the print is legible for everyone.
2. Does not involve any strain on the eyes or chest when using the apparatus, as is inevitable when writing with a pen. Simply touching the keys with your fingers can be done in a very comfortable sitting or standing position and with some practice even in the dark, and even blind people can learn to write with the same device without any particular effort in a few days. The apparatus will therefore be of incalculable advantage to those who suffer from weak eyes or breasts, and many talented people who otherwise can no longer or only insufficiently fulfill their duties due to the above-mentioned ailments will remain in their profession.
3. Since the use of this apparatus takes place almost effortlessly, it will also render excellent services to all those who work with intellectual strength, such as diplomats, concept officials, lawyers, notaries, writers, poets, etc., because they can give their full attention turn to their spiritual work.
4. This apparatus would also be very practical for the use of outpatient field chancelleries because it unites everything that belongs to writing, is easily transportable, takes up little space, makes pen and ink completely dispensable, and by means of the same in all Weather conditions can be written quickly; even if the hand was cold and unable to write with the fender. It would also do no less good service for clerks and officials in the preparation of presidential or reservation letters, which require strict secrecy, because one can close the apparatus with the lid while writing so that no unauthorized person can inspect the writing; some bosses who have less legible handwriting could also copy some very important acts themselves in order to strictly maintain official secrecy.
5. Can the sick and bedridden also write with this apparatus by having it placed near the bed; It is no less suitable for individuals who only have one hand, because they too will be able to write quickly and easily using the device.
6. Finally, it is also important for business and in economic terms for those individuals who either cannot write at all or only with difficulty in the light, or who have a heavy hand, of great advantage. Documents written by means of this device also make the work of typesetters in book printing shops easier because of their great clarity. [...] "

- from Ernst Martin : The typewriters and their development history

After the appraisal by the Polytechnic Institute , Mitterhofer received a subsidy of 200 guilders on February 25, 1867. On the same day, he was given his machine again.

The "Innsbrucker Nachrichten" reported on this device in December 1867, since then the whereabouts of this typewriter have not been clarified. Only the transport box with which Mitterhofer brought them to Vienna has been preserved. Its internal dimensions match the model described.

Model 4 - 1866 - Model Meran

Merano model

Number 4 was the "Meraner Model 1866". It was made of wood and metal, and for the first time switching was used for capital and small letters and numbers. It has been in the Merano City Museum since it was bought by Franz Innerhofer .

Since Mitterhofer's 3rd model has been lost, it was believed until the 1970s that he would have gone to the Kaiser in Vienna with the “Meraner Modell” in 1866. Richard Krcal pointed out at the time that none of the known models corresponded to the dimensions that Mitterhofer recorded in his cover letter for his presentation in Vienna. None of the four well-known models fit in the transport chest that Mitterhofer used on his first trip to Vienna.

Model 5 - 1869 - Vienna model

Letter from "August 8th 1869" written by Mitterhofer with his typewriter, "I sincerely greet you ..."

The fifth machine, the "Wiener Modell 1869", was equipped with a full keyboard and cylinder as well as with letters as types and was already a usable typewriter. It had 82 keys for digits, upper and lower case letters and the special characters ( ) " - ! ? , ; . : §and etin seven rows. The guys showed Garamond Fraktur script .

A letter that Peter Mitterhofer wrote to his patron Franz von Goldegg with this machine on August 8, 1869 has been preserved. Mitterhofer also brought this machine to Vienna. The imperial experts assessed the machine positively, but viewed it more as a curiosity and did not recognize the possible applications.

“In any case, the result is worthy of recognition, and the present model, which is exemplary in all its details, would be a welcome addition to the collection of a technical school, and it could serve as a stimulating example for aspiring students of how far the thinking and hardworking person can get . "

- Appraisals of the imperial experts

The machine was bought for 150 guilders and a gift from Emperor Franz Joseph I in the model collection of the Polytechnic Institute added.

Mitterhofer made his two trips to Vienna to present his inventions on foot. Because the imperial appraisers did not recognize the value of his invention, Mitterhofer lost interest in further development; he also made no attempts to market his invention.

Mitterhofer still experienced the success of the typewriters manufactured by Christopher Latham Sholes in the USA , but without having any part in it. He died bitterly on August 27, 1893. On his tombstone is the saying:

"The others who learned from him were able to
reap the fruits of his talent"

The author of this saying is Prof. Rudolf Granichstaedten-Czerva, who published a biography of Peter Mitterhofer in 1924 and at the same time - 30 years after his death - had a gravestone attached to Mitterhofer's grave. Just as the historical script he wrote deviates from historical reality in several points, this inscription is also contradictory.

As with many other inventions, mainly of a technical nature, the typewriter was developed in parallel in different countries. Henry Mill from England with his patent specification from 1714 is considered to be the first typewriter inventor, but his typewriter - like the prototypes of many other inventors - was never built in series.

It was probably the great similarity of Mitterhofer's models with the models produced in America by the Remington company that prompted Professor Granichstaedten-Czerva from Innsbruck to put the said saying on the tombstone.

Museum and awards

Typewriter Museum Peter Mitterhofer in Partschins
Memorial plaque at Gumpendorfer Strasse 130, Vienna
Peter Mitterhofer monument in Partschins
  • Typewriter Museum Peter Mitterhofer : The museum, built according to the plans of the architects Luciano Delugan and Georg Mitterhofer in Partschins in 1998, shows a collection of typewriters from all over the world compiled by Kurt Ryba from Munich and, with its more than 2,000 exhibits, provides an insight into their development history up to their replacement the computer .
  • Memorial: In front of the museum (Kirchplatz 10) there is a monument with a bust in honor of Mitterhofer's honor. Mitterhofer's and his wife's grave is on the east wall of the nearby church.
  • Peter-Mitterhofer-Kulturwanderweg: In Partschins there is a Peter-Mitterhofer-Kulturwanderweg as well as a Hotel Peter Mitterhofer .
  • The Merano School of Economics and Tourism bears Peter Mitterhofer's name.
  • Stamps: The Austrian Post has issued two stamps featuring the first model. They were launched in 1993 and 2007.

Memorial plaque

  • At Gumpendorfer Straße 130 in Vienna there is one commemorating Peter Mitterhofer, along with other memorial plaques designed by Mario Petrucci in 1936.

novel

  • Matthias Schönweger: from & to Peter & Paul. Skarabaeus, Innsbruck, 2003, 204 pages, ISBN 978-3-7082-3128-0 .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Lassnig p. 29
  2. ^ Karl Theodor Hoeniger: Peter Mitterhofer (1822-1893) and his typewriter from 1864 (online), p. 516, accessed on August 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ Lassnig p. 31
  4. ↑ Entry in the monument browser on the website of the South Tyrolean Monuments Office
  5. ↑ Das Magazin 12/2016: The Kaiser was not enthusiastic, p. 26
  6. ↑ Lassnig pp. 42–44
  7. ↑ HNA Hessische / Niedersächsische Allgemeine January 5, 2015
  8. ^ Typewriter "Mitterhofer, Dresden Model" ( memento from August 11, 2014 in the web archive archive.today ), in: Blasewitzer Zeitung / Dresdner district newspaper , July 18, 2013.
  9. ↑ Writing technique in the mirror of the times. 1981 , accessed August 14, 2014.
  10. ↑ a b 150 years ago - the invention of the typewriter , calendar sheet on December 18, 2016 at www.deutschlandfunk.de
  11. ↑ 1908: Information in verse form and another illustration of a model , p. 300, accessed on August 13, 2014.
  12. ↑ Krcal 1972, p. 74
  13. ↑ Krcal 1972, p. 75
  14. ↑ Lassnig p. 51
  15. ↑ Lassnig p. 62
  16. ↑ Lassnig, p. 68
  17. ↑ 100th anniversary of Peter Mitterhofer's death at austria-forum.org, accessed on August 27, 2018
  18. ↑ Peter Mitterhofer on postage stamp (pdf), in: Der Vinschger 25/2007, July 4th 2007.
  19. ↑ Peter Mitterhofer - inventor of the typewriter, 1822–1893 , accessed on August 12, 2014
  20. ↑ Reviews 2004 , accessed on August 13, 2014
  21. ↑ Innsbrucker Nachrichten of December 13, 1867 (in connection with the first mention of a thinking machine ), accessed on August 9, 2014

Web links

Commons : Peter Mitterhofer  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Mitterhofer, Peter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian carpenter and inventor
BIRTH DATE September 20, 1822
PLACE OF BIRTH Partschins , South Tyrol
DATE OF DEATH August 27, 1893
PLACE OF DEATH Partschins , South Tyrol