1990.1.1

Picht Braillewriter

Picht, Oscar, inventor

Black enamel finish over cast iron frame; bright nickel plated steel carriage, with black wood main paper-storage roller and red-brown rubber secondary roller; main roller has black hard rubber knobs and a spring loaded paper clamp, secondary roller has knurled steel knobs; seven flared wooden keys mounted on steel arms, middle spacebar is horizontal to user, other keys are vertical to user with middle two slightly shorter to accommodate the space bar; carriage release lever on left, back space on right; arched steel arm for diebox on top middle of carriage; nickel plated carriage return bell under carriage on right; gold script "Picht" logo on frame above keys; gold pinstripes on face and sides; attached metal plate printed: "Bruno Herde und Friedrich Wendt, Berlin SW 19, Generalvertrieb: Reichsdeutscher Blindenverhand e.v. Berlin, Abt. Zentrale fur Blindenhilfsmittel"; serial no. stamped underneath carriage, "66523".

1935

Bruno Herde und Friedrich Wendt

Berlin, Germany

The Picht braillewriter, or Schnellschreibmaschine, was invented by Oscar Picht (1871-1945) in 1899 while teaching at the State School for the Blind in Berlin, Germany. Picht was the director of the Provincial School for the Blind in Bromberg, Germany, from 1910-1920, and returned to Berlin to head that school from 1920-1933. He held multiple German braillewriter patents. Herde and Wendt began manufacturing their version in Berlin in 1903. This example was one of a 100 machines imported by APH in 1935-36 to satisfy demand for braillewriters in U.S. schools.

APH Collection, 1990.1