True Type

Apple is all about sleek design and minimalist beauty, but if a writer were to pose with his MacAir or iPad for a photo portrait, he’d be hard-pressed to look like he’s dripping with writerly intrigue. Besides, no one looks good in the eerie blue of computer screen light.

But the typewriter, like the book (as Andre Kertesz knew), is a terrific prop in photography. It’s a gorgeously intricate, serious machine—masculine but with enough fine parts to look delicate, like a bicycle or watch with one of those little gear windows. It’s there to do one, just one, good thing: put ink on a single sheet of paper. No Internet, no distraction, no apps, no games, no nonsense; just words—and just one font. Delicious simplicity.