Smith Premier Typewriter Co, New York, USA

In 1880 four brothers founded the L.C. Smith & Brothers gun factory.  The company produced firearms.  The brothers hired Alexander Brown to redesign their guns. Alexander Brown had seen at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876 the Sholes & Glidden typewriter. Alexander decided  that he could build a better typewriter.  He presented the company with his typewriter design. A decision was made to start production. The Smith brothers named their typewriter and their new company Smith Premier. The new typewriter was introduced on the market in 1890. It was a double-keybord  understroke typewriter.  The No.1 is distinguished from the later models by the ornamental nickel-plated side panels. Model 2, the most popular model, was introduced in 1896. All following models are essentially the same with some improvements. Smith Premier No.10 was the only Smith Premier double-keyboard front-stroke typewriter. It was manufactured in 1908-1913. In Finland Marshal Mannerheims  father’s company “C. Mannerheim Kontor”  imported Smith Premier typewriters.