Bartz

First year of production:

1950s

Company:

Bartz , Rotterdam , Netherlands

Serial nr:

none

Paul Haas Bartz (1908-1953) was a German-born machinist who moved to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in 1923. Under German occupation he attempted twice to escape to England but was caught both times.
After being forced to enlist in the German army, he deserted and returned to Rotterdam where he joined a local resistance group. This earned him a Dutch passport after the war.
As a machinist he enjoyed inventing mechanical toys and gadgets like this 2 1/4” high typewriter, the smallest typewriter ever built. Bartz probably only produced a couple of sample machines with the intent to market them as premiums. His death as a result of a gas leak in his apartment in 1953 put an early end to his plans. The machine shown here is the one of only three that are currently known to have survived.
The typewriter consists of a solid steel body and typewheel with the index printed on the inside of the wheel. The typewheel turns and is pressed down onto the ribbon and the paper.

Courtesy of: Mantelli collection