Corona 3 Portable Typewriter 1912-1941

At the beginning of the 20th century, the manual typewriter was the “hot technology” of the time for business. The machines, though, were heavy and cumbersome. A machine that could be taken out of the office was needed. In 1909, the first portable was produced in the U.S.A and named the Standard Folding typewriter because the platen or roller folded down over the keyboard to fit into a carrying case. President Roosevelt is even reported as having taken one on a tour of Africa. In 1912, this model was improved and renamed the “Corona 3”. This version was promoted for domestic as well as commercial use and, in WW1, was taken by the British and French armies to the battlefields. It was also a favourite of authors and journalists who wanted a typewriter as small and light as possible. Over 700,000 were eventually built. Our model dates from the early 1920s. By the start of WW2, however, this smart and useful little typewriter had been superseded by its bigger cousins with full size keyboards and production ceased in 1941.

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