Empire Aristocrat

Compact copy of an early Hermes Baby, this machine travels easily but is still enjoyable to type on.


Grey With Envy

The Empire Aristocrat is a license-built copy of the Hermes Baby, and in this case it is one of the mid-60’s styles. The folding carriage return arm and the very flat form factor make this one easy to slide into a bag and take on the go. Most of the original Baby models were found in the usual Hermes seafoam green, however this one is a wonderfully brutalist British Grey.



Some of these come in smaller pitches, however this particular one seems to be in a generic ~10CPI / Pica and of course it has the British eigths fraction keys as well as the £.



Small features make for good portability, however it’s less enjoyable when typing a lot. The controls can feel a little cramped if your hands are large. Additionally, this one has had a bump on the case cover, which means that removing the lid requires a little finesse.