MITTERHOFER, Peter

M. was born in a peasant family from small South Tyrolean town of Partschins. He was the first of nine children and learnt carpentry trade by his father, who was a master joiner. Since he was very talented for woodworking, M. soon developed an interest in making musical instruments so he made xylophone with small boards for moving hammers to hit on. In 1849 he went travelling for several years around his home country and abroad. When M. in the early sixties returned and married the orphaned daughter of a carpenter, Maria Steidl (1816 - 1892), he with great eagerness devoted himself to the manufacture of typewriter.
Between 1864 and 1869 he manufactured a total of five models. Four of them are still preserved. The first, second and fourth model were discovered in the attic of his house between 1905 and 1911. The first and the fifth model are located in the Technical Museum in Vienna, while the fourth in the city museum of Meran and the second model in Technical Museum of Dresden.
The first two models, constructed in 1864/65, were made of wood with the exception of the metal type basket and the keyboard with keys that were designed also for blind people. M. made his way to Vienna with his third model, which no longer exists in 1866, where Emperor authorized a grant of 200 guilders, which he was able to invest in his further construction. After receiving the money, M. returned home.
The models number four and five constructed in 1867 and in 1869 are mostly metal and are composed of a type basket, retarding basin, a full keyboard, writing roller bearing paper, an automated moving lines and multi-stage mechanism and all have the design characteristics of modern typewriters. M. again travelled to Vienna with his newest and quite advanced model. This time the Emperor bought his typewriter for 150 guilders, and gave it to the Polytechnic Institute, from where it was moved to the Technical Museum in 1910, while the inventor did not gain the active support and encouragement.
The bitter M. hid his four machines in the attic of his house and after 1870 turned to more practical things, such as producing practical devices for households and farms, but dealing also with making the roof covering and musical instruments. In the last years of his life he manufactured wooden mechanical washing machine.
M. is considered a typical domestic inventor, who on the one hand obtained recognition and support, but on the other lacked the urgency of marketing his ideas. A typewriter began its formal expedition from the USA in the seventies.