29 de julio de 2013

Typewriters in context

It occurred to me the other day that a substantial part of my collection consists of typewriters made in Germany in the 1933 to 1945, i.e. Nazi era. I think it's worth recalling this fact. Below is an example in order to put a typewriter ad into its historical context.
Above you see the whole range of Olympia typewriters available in 1941: The Standard 8, Plana, and Elite, Progress etc. series.

Here is where this ad was originally placed: on the picture above, German prisoners of war outside Belgrade, Yugoslavia. On the left, the German army bombarding Athens. The magazine is called "Signal", and obviously a German propaganda magazine. What is special is that this is the French edition of said magazine.

(click on pictures to enlarge)

26 de julio de 2013

Holidays

vacation (n.) Look up vacation at Dictionary.com
late 14c., "freedom from obligations, leisure, release" (from some activity or occupation), from Old French vacation, from Latin vacationem (nominative vacatio) "leisure, a being free from duty," noun of state from past participle stem of vacare "be empty, free, or at leisure"