Olivetti Studio 46 Typewriter Ribbons

Late 20th century

As a writer strikes keys on a typewriter, an inked, nylon ribbon turns, moving from a full spindle onto an empty one. When the ribbon reaches its end, the typewriter must be opened, and the ribbon replaced. These replacement ribbons fit the Olivetti Studio 46 typewriter in the Anacostia Community Museum’s Collection that once belonged to science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler (1947-2006). It appears that Butler, a Los Angeles native, purchased the ribbons locally. The office supply company listed on the boxes had locations in Los Angeles and nearby Beverly Hills, California. Butler’s novels focus on the future, so it seems apropos to imagine what could be written with the six replacement ribbons accompanying the typewriter. The exhibition, All the Stories Are True: African American Writers Speak, featured the typewriter ribbons in 2004.