The oldest thing i own
“What is the oldest thing you own?” For Thomas, who originally asked the question, it’s a Sisters of Mercy tour shirt from 1985. For Ruben, who brought it to my attention, it’s books from the 2000s. Apart from a small blue stuffed bear i’ve had since the day i was born, the oldest thing i’ve continuously owned might be my Apple IIc, which i’ve had for 30 years1. Unfortunately, i lost my box of 5.25″ floppies half a dozen moves ago. It’s due for a cleanup and recap anyway.
What about the oldest thing period? I’ve just turned on a lamp from the 1970s. I’m sitting on a sofa from the 1960s. I have a camera from the 1950s. I type my shopping lists on a typewriter from the 1940s. I’ll come back to the revival of a typeface i found on car adverts from the 1930s. I could mention my small collection of antique books, including a wonderful treatise on typography from 1870 and a selection of Nicolas Boileau’s works from 1858, but i’d be cheating. It’s not hard to get older books, just increasingly expensive.
It’s much more interesting to talk about the oldest thing i use regularly, which is — without a doubt — my Singer 99K hand-cranked sewing machine from 1923. Like my typewriters, it’s not a show piece that’s gathering dust, but a working model that’s earning its place in my modestly sized apartment. I’ve (ab)used it to sew notebook covers, bags, and workwear. It’s a bit temperamental, but it’s the only machine i own that can sew through multiple layers of waxed sailcloth without skipping a stitch.
I don’t think our Singer Heavy Duty 4432 or my MacBook Air will last half as long as their illustrious forebears. I might be able to repair the sewing machine if it ever breaks, because it’s still mostly mechanical, but i sure won’t be fixing the computer by myself. These devices aren’t more useful per se, but they’re certainly more sophisticated, which makes them more brittle. Their continued existence depends on a combination of skills that no single individual can master.
There were sewing machine and typewriter repair shops, for sure, but the machines were supplied with their care and repair guide. The manufacturer assumed that you’d carry out regular maintenance, small adjustments, and basic repairs all by yourself. Try doing that with a MacBook Air! There was a time when everything was designed to be repairable, down to clothes, shoes, and even books. An object you can repair is an object you can tweak, which means you can make it yours. Today’s objects can be in our possession, but that doesn’t mean they’re really ours.
I’d believe it was a worthy trade-off to make them more accessible if the sewing machines and typewriters of yore hadn’t been produced by the millions. They were already objects of mass consumption. You could order them from a catalogue, pay for them in instalments, and have them delivered to your house! A hundred-odd years ago! But back then, you weren’t expected to waste resources, replace your possessions on a whim, and toss things away without having first tried to mend or repurpose them2. Cheap3 and plentiful didn’t have to mean disposable.
And so my sewing machines and typewriters will remain the oldest things i use for the rest of my life. If i’m a good custodian, i’ve no doubt they’ll be the oldest things someone will own in the distant future. All the while, most things that have been produced in the last decades will end up as landfill. Let’s hope the next few decades will fare better on that front.