tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post2606257475249400718..comments2024-03-25T15:02:25.695+11:00Comments on oz.Typewriter: Dust Off That Old Banger: A Pictorial History of Typewriter Collecting (1934-1984). Part I: Dietz, Haining & SmockRobert Messengerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04366507489948676594noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-26137427527504398692016-03-12T14:33:39.377+11:002016-03-12T14:33:39.377+11:00Al might start by spelling Heath's first name ...Al might start by spelling Heath's first name correctly, and checking a few of his figures too.Robert Messengerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04366507489948676594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-1624541225404179532016-03-12T14:32:14.636+11:002016-03-12T14:32:14.636+11:00I nominated Heath in my first response. This is a ...I nominated Heath in my first response. This is a huge call by Al. You could just as easily say Heath's article in the Wisconsin historical magazine resulted in Current's book, except Current did his own research and wrote it himself. He got out and did the hard yards, got the work done. Ditto Dietz. So what's Al suggesting? We call it the Heath Collection? Get real!Robert Messengerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04366507489948676594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-45092020610139693782016-03-12T02:42:36.556+11:002016-03-12T02:42:36.556+11:00Robert,
Al Muchka sent me the following insights:...Robert,<br /><br />Al Muchka sent me the following insights:<br /><br />Carl Dietz initially was not terribly interested in typewriters. His 1934-35 typewriter collecting binge was instigated by another local politician; Frederick Heath. Heath was a Milwaukee County Supervisor and another history buff like Dietz. <br /><br />Dietz’s interests were largely transportation and general Americana. Heath, however, was much more interested in local affairs especially business and innovation. He was a close friend of the Sholes family and especially trying to promote them and the work of CL Sholes as a Milwaukee businessman and inventor. As the Museum was a City institution Heath had no real influence there so he sought out Milwaukee City Alderman, Carl P. Dietz, and started pushing Dietz to try to get the Milwaukee Public Museum involved in collecting local business innovations. <br /><br />This push triggered Dietz to start looking at the typing machine as a local innovation and Heath made several connections with the Sholes family for Dietz allowing him access to and the ability to collect a few Sholes machines. From there Dietz’s natural collector came out and he began pursuing a variety of early machines showing a more broad view of the development of the typewriter in America and Europe. By 1936 Dietz had over 100 machines in his own collection, which in 1936 he gave 112 to the Museum to begin the typewriter collection. Many of those machines were shown in the late 1930s in a museum exhibit. <br /><br />Dietz pretty much stopped collecting typewriters by 1945 and turned back to his first attractions in Americana and collected bicycles, ice skates, and all manner of bits and pieces of Americana, which also wound up in the Museum’s collections. <br /><br />At Dietz’s death in 1957 the typewriter collection was named the Carl P. Dietz Collection in his honor. Thereafter the Museum staff (mainly a scientific assistant named George Herrl) undertook the task of making a catalog as a sampling of the collection. This was published by the Museum in 1965. <br /><br />As you can see, it was Fred Heath, not Dietz who initiated the typewriter collection as a local history project. Without Heath we’d be discussing the Dietz ice skate and bicycle collection.<br /><br />Al Muchka, Curator of Collections, American & Local History<br />Milwaukee Public Museum<br />Thomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14841969187709305012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-44830580893123127202016-03-11T10:45:14.551+11:002016-03-11T10:45:14.551+11:00It is indeed intriguing, because Al has been very,...It is indeed intriguing, because Al has been very, very helpful to typewriter historians and to ETCetera over the years. It seemed to me that he has been/is always quick and ready to provide photos and information etc. I've never previously heard of any suggestion that Dietz's motivation wasn't entirely as we believed it to be.Robert Messengerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04366507489948676594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-10954507675156225852016-03-11T08:39:29.790+11:002016-03-11T08:39:29.790+11:00Robert,
Your assessment is probably correct, alth...Robert,<br /><br />Your assessment is probably correct, although I'm intrigued by Muchka's comment. I'll see if I can find more. <br /><br />I did read Michael Horne's Milwaukee Magazine article. As you know, a very similar article could be written about the typewriter collection. It is a real shame that these valuable collections are locked away, gathering nothing but dust. I know that proper display of these collections would be costly, but something should be done. As a minimum, they should provide on-line information and photographs. <br /><br />As an aside, I've been working on a book about Milwaukee's industrial heritage - focusing on the century that begins with 1850. As you might imagine, the development of the typewriter will be prominently featured. Also includes a good deal of information about the City's early bicycle companies, in addition to things like steam engines, airplanes and motorcycles. Working title is, "The Magnificent Machines of Milwaukee (and the engineers that created them." Thomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14841969187709305012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-53867117894720848422016-03-11T08:13:21.395+11:002016-03-11T08:13:21.395+11:00Sounds to me like he might have been referring to ...Sounds to me like he might have been referring to Frederic Faries Heath, a fellow Socialist politician, journalist, historian and friend of the Sholes family (Zalmon in particular). The claim strikes me as a bit mealy-mouthed. It would be very difficult, for me at least, to reconcile the enormous amount of personal expense, time taken over more than two decades, the effort, commitment and dedication of Dietz to this task as coming from a man being "pushed" to do it. I've been pushed to do things, too, and have done them, but never with this level of personal cost! It would take a lot more explaining than simply saying he was "pushed" to be able the pigeonhole this as the "REAL collecting rationale" behind Dietz's work. BTW, have you read Michael Horne's lengthy 2011 Milwaukee Magazine article about his dealings with the MPM staff over the bicycle collection? A bit of an eye-opener, I must say! No mention there, either, of Dietz being "pushed" to collect this stuff.Robert Messengerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04366507489948676594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-34599184367108461842016-03-11T03:35:47.479+11:002016-03-11T03:35:47.479+11:00Robert,
Excellent article. Thanks for posting it....Robert,<br /><br />Excellent article. Thanks for posting it. <br /><br />I shared it with Al Muchka, who maintains the collection at the Milwaukee Public Museum. I thought you might be interested in his comments about the article, and about Dietz. He had the following to say:<br /><br />Thank you for passing this along. It is too bad they don’t know the REAL collecting rationale about Dietz. He never would have collected typewriters without the influence and “push” from another local politician and the Sholes family. If not for them, the Dietz collection would be general Americana, 200 sets of ice skates, 70 bicycles and a group of telephones, not the typing machines we all know. <br /><br />I was going to post this info in the comments for the article but am blocked from posting by the Museum’s security and account parameters. <br /><br />Al<br /><br />I'm not certain what Milwaukee politician provided this 'Push,' but I'll see if I can find out more. <br /><br />If you contact me via email, I would be happy to pass along Al's email address, if you'd like to converse with him directly.<br /><br />TomThomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14841969187709305012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-55279241930672745372016-03-09T15:00:03.000+11:002016-03-09T15:00:03.000+11:00At last I know something now about Percy Smock! Pr...At last I know something now about Percy Smock! Priceless.Richard Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16232053429935587826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-35266236391468446862016-03-09T13:17:04.403+11:002016-03-09T13:17:04.403+11:00Excellent! I knew of these men only vaguely. It...Excellent! I knew of these men only vaguely. It's nice to know they were music-playing rebels turned historical pioneers. Dietz was a true Typewriter Hunter! :DTedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16774432656602082311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248447883714712696.post-70604706355559037092016-03-09T09:55:33.816+11:002016-03-09T09:55:33.816+11:00Wonderful report Robert. I've read about Smoc...Wonderful report Robert. I've read about Smock, but this is the first I've heard of Dietz.Bill Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14649212489891769390noreply@blogger.com