Typewriter Ribbon Tin Menagerie

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About Typewriter Ribbon Tin Menagerie

As products go, what could be more banal than the lowly typewriter ribbon? In an effort to stand out from the crowd, ribbon manufacturers covered their products' tins with colorful type and graphic elements. Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Mid-century Modern graphic design are all well represented. Some tins feature fanciful illustrations having absolutely nothing to do with typewriters, ribbons, writing, business or anything remotely connected with typing. As the industrialized culture of international business spread throughout the 1960s and 70s, soulless, bland graphics and cheap cardboard packaging took over. The tin was no more.

Post your vintage typewriter tins so we can all share in a time when our culture placed a higher value on the little details.

HINTS: Don't photograph your typewriter tin with your camera's flash. Such a bright light reflecting off the metal tins produces hot spot highlights that will wreck your image. Photograph under natural light instead. If it is too dim, try using a tripod to steady your camera during the longer exposure.