Object ID:
1995.15
Title:
Banks Pocket Braille Writer, Model #6
Creator:
Banks, Alfred, inventor
Description:
Cast aluminum pocket braillewriter, rectilinear with rounded corners; main body coated in crinkled red enamel, angled keyboard cover painted dark gray; six black plastic braille keys in slightly circular arrangement, black plastic space bar below; lever in middle of keyboard opens lid on top to reveal paper tape roller and diebox; metal tag pinned to lid, "MODEL 6, No. 1411/ BANKS POCKET BRAILLE WRITER/ Manufactured by INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP./590 MADISON AVENUE/New York 22, NEW YORK/AVAILABLE ONLY THROUGH LIONS CLUBS"; cast into chassis inside writer, "1067494 ALCOA G"; base padded with cork.
Dimensions:
H-7.875 W-4.75 D-1.25 inches
Date:
ca. 1955
Made by:
International Business Machines Corp.
Place of Origin:
New York, NY
Provenance:
Naomi Overby was a longtime proofreader in the APH Braille Pre-Production Department who retired in 1993. The Banks Pocket Braille Writer was invented by blinded WWI veteran, Dr. Alfred Banks of San Diego California, around 1928. In 1946, IBM agreed to support the production of a revised model for distribution at cost in both the U.S. and Great Britain by Lions Club International. It weighed about 1.5 pounds and used 1/2 inch wide tape.
Credit Line:
Gift of Naomi Overby, 1995.15.
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Banks Pocket Braillewriter
Banks Pocket Braillewriter