Olivetti
Valentine (1969), Ettore SottsassFounded in 1908 by Camillo Olivetti as a typewriter manufacturer, Olivetti today is a manufacturer of computers, tablets and smartphones. Olivetti’s philosophy: composition and style should never yield to practicality. Their factories were designed by the best architects, their ads by the finest artists and their typewriters by the best industrial designers.
Designed in 1968 by Ettore Sottsass and completed by British industrial designer Perry King, the Valentine is Olivetti’s most iconic typewriter. The Valentine was built on the Lettera 32 model’s frame with slight modifications so that the Valentine chassis could fit. The typewriter’s case was also ingeniously designed. It is no surprise that the world’s finest art museums have Valentines in their permanent collections.
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