American No. 1 Index Typewriter

The 'American No. 1' index typewriter was invented by Louis Philippe Valiquet. It was released by the American Typewriter Company in 1893 and was set apart from other typewriters due to its low starting price of $5 (about $175 today). The price of the typewriter would eventually be increased to $6, and then again to $8 as improvements were made. 

Index typewriters were less expensive than other typewriters at the time, due to their small size and reduced functionality. To operate an index typewriter, the user would manually scroll a dial to face a certain character before pushing down a lever to print the character. The simplicity of the machine's design, as well as its lack of a keyboard, made the device easily portable and uncomplicated to operate. 

While the American No. 1 was slower than non-index typewriters, its low cost and light weight made it a popular option for students and typists who couldn't afford a more expensive machine. Although index typewriters fell out of use when cheaper keyboard typewriters were introduced, machines such as the American No. 1 contributed to the increased accessibility of typographic technology in the late 19th century.