Typewriter Sizes
One Empress-sized horse or a hundred Bennett sized ducks? Comparing some of the machines of different sizes to get an appreciation for different scales.
Sometimes when we're looking at everything in a specific scale, we forget the scale of things. For example, lately I've been breaking out my tweezers and magnifying glasses res work on the Bennett, but it's also made me realize that some of the Standards in the collection haven't been broken out in awhile.
While sifting through some of the old archive photos, I found a side-by-side of the Royal Empress next to the Hermes Media. Even next to the "portable" Hermes, the Empress commands the room; I can't even fit it onto the display! In every dimension it's a fair bit larger. This got me thinking however; how would something like the Bennett compare? So, this post is all about comparing some oversized and undersized machines to get a sense of scale.
How about ramping up from a small machine. We can all appreciate that this tiny machine is small, but how does it compare to another machine often known for a relatively small size?
One of the comparisons I found most striking was that even with the fairly narrow profile of the Bennett (it is exceptionally shallow) it still is somehow only barely deeper than an Underwood 3 Bank when rotated 90. Side by side, the 3 Bank is still about twice the depth of the index machine. So obviously that just means that the 3 Bank isn't as small as advertised, right?
Well....
Next to the Hermes portables we can see that it's most certainly on the smaller side of things; that cozy basket really is quite compact, though the Hermes isn’t exactly the smallest portable out there. Between these we can get a feeling for why the term "portable" might not narrow the field very much when trying to get a feel for size.
Even so, the Hermes isn't the biggest kid on the playground...
Even with all that sprawling out, the Hermes just looks like a toy next to the Empress. That strong underbite on the Royal gives a feeling that the keyboard is being served to you on a platter; a whole separate desk provided to you courtesy of the spacious frame of the machine. The Media and the 3000 give extra stability to your typing with a larger, stouter machine. By contrast, the Empress seems to swing to the far side of the spectrum, being so large as to cause the very desk to sway with the carriage movements. I'm pretty sure you could fit the whole Hermes inside the body of the Empress and leave room for the carriage behind it.
Now. The most important question. What does the Empress look like next to the itty bitty Bennett?
Comical could describe it. The carriage alone is bigger in nearly every dimension and probably weighs more to boot. Length to depth, you could probably fit one-and-a-half of the teeny machines in there. If not for the Bennett's unusual width, relative to depth, you could probably stand it on its side and still have the Empress be taller! If you find yourself needing a second machine to use from atop the Empress, you might consider welding one of these on there.
Bennett, banana for scale.
