Curators' Choice: Info Technology & Communications

25 artifacts in this set

Top picks: Information Technology & Communications

Edison Electric Pen, circa 1877

Stylus

Thomas Edison's electric pen, an ancestor of both the mimeograph and the tattoo needle, was a successful product in the mid-1870s. Users would write normally with the pen, which, instead of a nib, had a needle powered by an electric motor. The needle poked holes into a stencil, which was then used to copy the document. Many businesses found document duplication an attractive possibility.