Oiling Directions
A card with instructions for oiling the Oliver. Date unknown. 5 1/2 x 3 5/8 inches, on cardstock. Scanned from the original.
Oliver 5
This is a lovely illustration of a Model 5 Oliver Typewriter from The Oliver Bulletin Vol. 6, No. 6 (May 10, 1907): [insert following p. 920].
If you click through on either the icon at left or the larger version below you'll get a 2048 pixel wide JPEG version of the image, which is more than sufficient for ordinary viewing. Since it's such a nice image, though, here is a link to a 1200 DPI lossless PNG version of the same image (it's 139 Megabytes; unless you plan to use it for reproduction or modification, you really don't need it): oliver5-1200.png
Oliver Typeface: Ebony
From The Oliver Bulletin, Vol. 7, Combined Nos 9 & 10 (September 10, 1908): 1275.
This typeface, Ebony, was cut in 1890 by William F. Capitain for the "Chicago Type Foundry" of Marder, Luse & Co. The Marder, Luse foundry was amalgamated into American Type Founders at its inception. However, its popularity was brief. By at least the 1897 ATF specimen book, Ebony was no longer being shown (it also fails to appear in several earlier specimen books, but that isn't conclusive evidence that it wasn't available, since it took several years for ATF to integrate fully the many typefoundries out of which it condensed).
This "Advertising Atom," however, does not address the issue of the unavailability of type. Advertising material for printed publication typically was supplied by the Oliver company directly as electrotyped printing plates (several examples of these are shown later in this Notebook). Local Oliver agents would have had little need for Ebony type itself. But in addition to printed material, they would have been creating localized material in the form of lettered "signs, cards, windows, and other Oliver publicity." For this their local lettering artist needed a model, and that model is what this showing of Ebony is intended to supply.
The Oliver company was unusual in selecting a house typeface for logo and display work. Most logos at this time would have been hand lettered to start with.
The icon above left and the larger version of the showing below link to 2048 pixel wide versions of their respective images. Here is a full-resolution (1200 dpi) PNG of just the type showing (25 Megabytes, 5600 pixels wide): oliver-bulletin-v07n09and10-1908-09-10-1200rgb-1275-ebony-type-face-crop-showing-5600x3328.png
Thomas Oliver
Obituary photograph of Thomas Oliver, from The Oliver Bulletin. In my copy, bound after p. 1392 (between Vol. 8 No. 2 (January 10, 1909) and Vol. 8 No. 3 (Feburary 10, 1909)) (but in the Index listed as p. 1421. Vol. 8, No. 3 (March 10, 1909)).
Interchangeable Carriage
From The Oliver Bulletin, Vol. 7, No. 3 (February 10, 1908).
Here's a 600dpi JPEG version of just the halftone (13 Megabytes): oliver-bulletin-v07n03-1908-02-10-1200rgb-ad-suggestion-53-crop-image-6240x5216.jpg
Santa's Oliver
From The Oliver Bulletin, Vol. 9, No. 12 (November 10, 1910).
Oliver Car
From The Oliver Bulletin, Vol. 9, No. 9-10 (September 10, 1910).
That the Oliver is a fine machine is clear; what is not explained is why one should "clear the track" for an automobile.
These works were published in the US without copyright notice at a time when such notice was required to secure copyright. They therefore passed into the public domain upon initial publication. These digital reprints remain in the public domain.
All portions of this document not noted otherwise are Copyright © 2012 by David M. MacMillan and Rollande Krandall.
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