The Height Of 1956 Office Design - Including Morris Fountain Pen Sets

[AAAndrew]

Many of you may know the Morriset Pen-Ink Units (Model B ) which are quite common in places where you find old stuff.

 

Here's one from c. WWII that was used at the Naval Air Station in San Diego.

 

 

 

Not quite as common are the later (but still streamline and 1930's looking) Morris Fountain Pen Sets. Here's one in red.

 

 

 

I was searching around the amazing Shorpy site (old photographs posted in very large scale) and found this image of IBM's Rochester offices with the latest in interior design by the famous Finnish architect and designer Eero Saarinen. And sitting right there on the desk next to the famous "Think" signs are two, chained Morris Fountain pen Sets in black. Very cool. For the full-size image just click on the image in the link above, or just go here.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 29, 2019 by AAAndrew

[sharonspens]

Thanks for sharing this. I never thought about FP desk sets being chained down like a BP. I appreciate your opening my eyes to this!

 

Sharon in Indiana

[sandy101]

Look at all those ashtrays - and the size of them.

 

Hardly see any of these in workplaces in the UK, since smoking was banned inside public buildings and workplaces.

 

Fascinating photo - for many reasons.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Nothing worse than a tiny 'lady's ashtray...............One needs a full sized 9 inch diameter one, or someone has to stop smoking long enough to empty it.

 

It was proven smokers were more productive. The rest was deleted because truth as sarcasm, is not politically correct. Or was that sarcasm as truth....one of the three.

 

AH HA!!!!!! It's only tobacco that one can not smoke in public places.......Hello, Colorado!

[Parker51]

As one who has lived long enough as to remember smoking in Public Spaces, I will tell you it did keep,me out of Bowling Alleys, Bars, Jazz Clubs and cliques at work.

In regard to the office design, the unpleasantness open offices cause is one of the reasons I will be retiring soon.

[sidthecat]

I’m old enough to remember having an office with a door. I’ve also done my thing in an open-plan carport.

Currently, I’m in a cubicle and we have to deal with my company’s belief that if we’re not in feature animation we don’t need anything different from regular office workers. That grates, but it still beats having a Real Job.

[OMASsimo]

It seems that they only chained the base, so I still could have stolen the pen (if I had been alive and around in 1956). I still remember when smoking in public was standard rather than exception. Every time I went to a pub with my mates, I smelled at least as bad as an ashtray when I got home in the small hours. And I've been a non-smoker my entire life. I'm so incredibly glad that this period of human history is over. And the second horror of my life is also documented in the photo, a cubicle. I spent two years of my life in one without a window as postdoc in the US. What were they thinking? A bad environment kills creativity and a cubicle is the definition of a bad environment in my humble opinion. I'd NEVER confine a co-worker in a cubicle unless I want him to quit working for me!

 

But what really confuses me is the general setup of this room. It looks like the desk pens are sitting on a receptionist's desk (note the telephone!). And behind this is a sitting area like for visitors (or patients?). But why would they have cubicles (with file cabinets!) in the same room? Absolutely flabbergasting to me.

[Arkanabar]

That's how we used to needed files on hand, before we had file servers maintained by the IT people, that can be accessed from any desktop with a computer.

[sandy101]

Yes, we had that in the sales office I was in in the late 1990's..

 

The files were on shelves around the walls. The sales staff didn't touch them - they'd give the administrators a list of files they wanted for the day - the administrators would fish them out in the morning. The files that were done with were put in a basket and returned to the cabinet at 4.30 by the administrator who went home at 5.

 

The IT had a record of transactions for about ten years - but the previous 30 years were all on paper. Some of the typists still had electric typewriters - rather than computers. Again the sales staff would dictate their letters and memos into dictation machines and the typists would type them up.

 

Wouldn't happen now. The sales staff would be expected to do their own typing.

 

The company folded in 2005. I imagine it was one of the last bastions of "how we used to do things."

 

Mostly because the technology budget was a shoestring. Yes, they installed software - but training the staff how to use properly didn't happen.

[AAAndrew]

It seems that they only chained the base, so I still could have stolen the pen (if I had been alive and around in 1956)...

When these were in public places, like post offices, the base was stuck to the table so the whole was harder to walk off with. The chain in this case is more to make sure the pen doesn’t walk off. Less about stealing, more about forgetful walking off with their pen.

[OMASsimo]

Yes, this makes sense. Maybe our ancestors were a little more civilized than our kids. Anyway, a great photo from the past. Thanks for sharing.