#Exhibit of the Month

Manufactured in 1902 by AG vorm Siedel & Nauman in Dresden, Germany.

Dimensions: Length - 38 cm, Width - 35 cm, Height - 20 cm. Weight - 16 kg. It entered the museum collection in 1984, transferred from the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History.

The typewriter features a standard carriage mounted on ball bearings and rollers, along with a keyboard equipped with 42 keys. These contain two complete sets of Latin and Cyrillic alphabets, punctuation marks, numbers, and mathematical symbols, enabling the typing of 126 characters. Beneath the metal casing, the type bars are arranged in a fan-like pattern, holding embossed characters and ink ribbon rollers. When the keys are pressed, the type bars strike the inked ribbon, imprinting characters onto the paper tensioned in the machine's roller system.

The side panels are elegantly decorated with refined cast-iron elements in the Art Nouveau style, displaying the brand name - "Ideal." The Polyglott model, featuring a bilingual keyboard patented in the United Kingdom by Max Klaczko from Riga, Latvia, was produced between 1902 and 1913, marking the first typewriter capable of writing in two languages. The "Ideal Polyglott" typewriter was actively sold in the Russian Empire and gained significant popularity in Poland, Bulgaria, and Serbia.
The typewriter - a mechanical device used for printing text directly onto paper - ranks among the most important inventions of the modern era, as it revolutionized communication. From the late 19th century to the early 21st century, it became an indispensable tool, widely used by writers, in offices, for business correspondence, and in private homes. The peak of typewriter sales occurred in the 1950s when the average annual sales in the United States reached 12 million units. In November 2012, the British Brother factory produced what it claimed to be the last typewriter, which was donated to the Science Museum in London.
The advent of computers, word processing software, printers, and the decreasing cost of these technologies led to the typewriter's disappearance from the mainstream market, turning it into a museum exhibit.
June 23 marks Typewriter Day, commemorating the date when American journalist and inventor Christopher Latham Sholes patented his typewriter. This day celebrates the simple yet revolutionary device that has become history, as well as the remarkable literary achievements it has enabled since 1868.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

Romanian Jewelry Week

18-31 August 2023

Between August 18-31, 2023, Romanian Jewelry Week continues the international marathon of contemporary jewelry through a special edition held in Chisinau, within the National Museum of History of Moldova, one of the most important museum institutions in the country. It is the first collaboration project in the field of contemporary jewelry between Romania and the Republic of Moldova. The project is co-financed by the Romanian Cultural Institute, through the Cantemir Program - funding program for cultural projects intended for the international environment.

The museum will host for two weeks an exhibition dedicated to Romanian Jewelry Week with over 50 Romanian and international artists and designers, in an event format that includes 5 special activations such as openings, guided tours, conferences and workshops dedicated to the general public. Among the exhibitors are renowned designers from Romania, Republic of Moldova, Italy, USA, France, Portugal, Germany, Ukraine, South Korea, etc., as well as two capsule exhibitions organized by Slovenian Jewelry Week and Legnica Silver Festival in Poland. A special moment will also be marked by a screening of the first international jewelry-inspired video festival - SMCK on Reel, which focuses on current social themes explored through the lens of contemporary jewelry.

Program Romanian Jewelry Week - Chisinau 2023
Location - National Museum of History of Moldova, Str. 31 August 1989 no. 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Friday, August 18, 2023
17.00 - 19.00 - Opening of the Romanian Jewelry Week contemporary jewelry exhibition - Guided tour by curator David Sandu
Saturday, August 19, 2023
10.00 - 12.00 - Imprint. Jewelry workshop for children (12-15 years).
14:00-16:00 Conference on Assemblage Contemporary Jewelery School with David Sandu and Andreia Gabriela Popescu. Demonstration workshop of polishing semi-precious stones.
16:30 - 18:00 - SMCK ON REEL FESTIVAL film screening - "Civilization Rebooted".
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - Location - National Museum of History of Moldova, Chisinau
16.00 - 18.00 - Conferences and Finishing of Romanian Jewelry Week.

"Through this special edition of Romanian Jewelry Week, the National Museum of History of Moldova marks a special moment in the cultural collaboration between the Republic of Moldova and Romania. Contemporary jewelery is an art form full of meaning and expression, and this exhibition provides an opportunity to enjoy the creativity and ingenuity of many talented artists and designers. The National History Museum of Moldova has the mission of promoting and preserving the cultural heritage of our country, and Romanian Jewelry Week brings a new perspective on the art of jewelry in a contemporary context. Through the event, we want to encourage cultural dialogue and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas between artists and our audience." - National Museum of History of Moldova.

Access is based on the museum entrance ticket.

Event organized by Assamblage in partnership with the National Museum of History of Moldova, in Chisinau. The project is co-financed by the Romanian Cultural Institute, through the Cantemir Program - funding program for cultural projects intended for the international environment. Exhibition design signed by Kaustik.

Media partners: Radio Guerilla, Aici a Stat, Curatorialist, Curatorial.ro, Dreamingof.net, Designist.ro, ELLE, Empower Artists, Feeder.ro, Festivalier, Igloo, IQAds, Lost in Jewelry Magazine, Femeia, Modernism.ro, Atelierul Magazine, Golan Magazine, The PR Station, The Institute, Zeppelin, Days and Nights, Călători cu Gust, TVR Moldova.

Romanian Jewelry Week is an annual international project organized by Assamblage - the National Association of Authors and Designers of Contemporary Jewelry, which brings together in each edition over 190 designers and collectives from all over the world. It is currently the largest and most important event dedicated to contemporary jewelry in Romania. After 3 successful editions held in Bucharest, in cultural spaces such as the National Library of Romania, Arcub, the National History Museum of Romania, the Cotroceni National Museum, and many others, Romanian Jewelry Week will organize a first special edition in Timișoara and Chisinau in 2023, alongside the main edition in Bucharest that will take place between October 4-8, 2023.

The Romanian Cultural Institute is not responsible for the content of the project or how the results of the project can be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.

#Exhibit of the Month

"Ideal" Mechanical Typewriter, Model A Polyglott

Romanian Jewelry Week

18-31 August 2023

#Exhibit of the Month