The exhibition
In our exhibition, the history of the typewriter is told backwards, rewinding from today back to 1936. By charting the development of the keyboard – the common factor between our electronic communication devices today (such as smartphones, touchscreen tablets and laptops) and of yesteryear (Minitel and telex for example), it highlights our changing practices and the limits on female empowerment in a gendered, hierarchical society. A tale that unfolds through graphic frescoes and displays of iconic objects. To cap off this chapter, an immersive, multi-act audio experience plunges you into the day-to-day life of typists in the 1930s.
Tech through time, a series of exhibitions delving into the history of science and technology
Explore the history of a selection of communication devices with the Tech through time exhibitions. The series has begun by tuning into the transistor radio, before moving on to the typewriter. The autochrome – the first industrial method of colour photography – will wrap up the series. Each exhibition will run for several months, reminding us that this history was fraught with trial and error, a fair bit of luck and interruptions along the way. They are an opportunity to turn back the clock, revealing the complex links between technological progress and sociopolitical contexts.
Practical information
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€15 | €12 | Our prices
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From age 15
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Trilingual exhibition (French, English, Spanish)
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The Cité is open from Tuesday to Saturday 10.00 am - 6.00 pm and 10.00 am - 7.00 pm on Sunday.
Accessibility
- Accessible to visitors with reduced mobility
Plan your visit
This exhibition area can be accessed by lift (level 2). Small pushchairs are allowed inside the museum.
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© N. Breton / EPPDCSI Travel back in time
Begin your journey through time by exploring five graphic frescoes. These lay the chronological, technological, societal and political groundwork for grasping the key issues shaping the history of the typewriter which, far from being linear, was packed with twists galore. Gradual digitisation, computerisation of word processing, standardisation of practices or the instrumental role that women played in its development and use. You’ll be able to admire the objects on display, giving a tangible illustration of how our written communication practices have evolved. Even though the keyboard hasn’t changed in nearly a century!
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© N. Breton / EPPDCSI Immersive audio experience
Get ready for a trip back to the past as you enter the immersive spatial audio gallery. Step into the shoes of Louise, a young secretary working in a typing pool in 1936. Amidst the din of the Remington typewriters’ keys click-clacking away, get an idea of what her working and living conditions must have been like, not least the ferocious pace of work, long working hours and sexist organisation. Between the thirst for freedom and workers’ demands, find out how the typewriter embodied a tool for exploitation, inspiration and clandestine use, enabling women to produce tracts and poems.