I’m writing a short story, set in the 1960s, where the protagonist acquires an Olympia typewriter and disregards his previous typewriter as a “poor people’s writer.” I don’t much about typewriters of that era (or any era, really). I’ve only learned about the aforementioned Olympia brand. Any info is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Underwood was pretty much the main US maker up to the 60s. They started to hit major competition from Brother and Seiko in the mid to late 60s, but it would have been normal for most people to know that “Underwood” was synonymous with “a typewriter”.
Since Underwood is one of the OG makers, you might do fine to describe an older Underwood typewriter as a boat anchor rather than just being a poor man’s typewriter. It’s definitely a “common man’s” typewriter pre-70.