Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

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Lemon
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Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by Lemon »

Hello everyone,

In the documentary Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song, around 00:53:15, there's a photo of Cohen taken by Dominique Issermann in Los Angeles in 1982.

Two details in the photo caught my eye:

1. I was expecting the typewriter to be the famous Lettera 22, but this one seems to be a 32. Is there any information regarding this particular typewriter?

2. I was intrigued to know what text was Cohen working on in this photo. After flipping the image, zooming in and squinting for some time, I believe that he was working on what would later become Nightingale.

I hope that this esoteric information will be of value to someone down the line and please share any corrections and comments that you might have.
79c9790d.jpg
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LisaLCFan
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by LisaLCFan »

Thanks for that information!

There is another detail in that photo that caught my eye: Leonard's guitar! From the shape of the headstock and tuning machines, I am absolutely certain that it is his Conde Hermanos guitar.
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Hartmut
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by Hartmut »

Yes, it really seems to be the Lettera 32.

You two have really sharp eyes! I can't decipher the text or recognize the guitar model.
Last edited by Hartmut on Wed Mar 22, 2023 4:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Hartmut
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by Hartmut »

But! The shape of the light switch tells me the photo was taken somewhere in the USA.

The window style reinforces this assumption.

The angle of the incoming sunlight indicates that it was spring time, probably around 10 a. m.

The wood of the table surface comes from a cherry tree.

And Leonard's last haircut was about two weeks ago.
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LisaLCFan
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by LisaLCFan »

Hartmut wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 4:05 am But! The shape of the light switch tells me the photo was taken somewhere in the USA.

The window style reinforces this assumption.

The angle of the incoming sunlight indicates that it was spring time, probably around 10 a. m.

The wood of the table surface comes from a cherry tree.

And Leonard's last haircut was about two weeks ago.

:lol:

(Although the light switch could also be in Canada...)
Lemon
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by Lemon »

LisaLCFan wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 12:32 am Thanks for that information!

There is another detail in that photo that caught my eye: Leonard's guitar! From the shape of the headstock and tuning machines, I am absolutely certain that it is his Conde Hermanos guitar.
As a guitar nerd, I deliberately tried to stay out of that rabbit hole...
There's also the Fender pick on the table on the right - thin, medium or heavy?

Here's the flipped and zoomed-out paper with some of the words that led me to Nightingale:

Image
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Hartmut
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by Hartmut »

LisaLCFan wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:40 am (Although the light switch could also be in Canada...)
Maybe. But a quick Google research yesterday seemed to indicate that there are differences between the US and Canada when it comes to light switches.
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Hartmut
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by Hartmut »

Lemon wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:01 pm Here's the flipped and zoomed-out paper with some of the words that led me to Nightingale:
Impressive! - I tried to do the same thing, but not very successfully. Did you use some super-specialised software?
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LisaLCFan
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by LisaLCFan »

Hartmut wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 5:34 pm
LisaLCFan wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 8:40 am (Although the light switch could also be in Canada...)
Maybe. But a quick Google research yesterday seemed to indicate that there are differences between the US and Canada when it comes to light switches.
"Maybe"? How charming! :) You do know that I actually live in Canada, right? I assure you that the light switch in the photo could easily be found in countless Canadian homes. In fact, it looks exactly like the light switches in my house!

However, I acknowledge that there are two or three different styles of light switches that have appeared in more recent years, and perhaps that is what you came across in your Google search (mind you, I suspect that the newer styles found in Canada may also be found in the USA, too, since we share electrical standards/suppliers, etc.).

One of my light switches:
lightswitch.jpg
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LisaLCFan
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by LisaLCFan »

Lemon wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:01 pm ...As a guitar nerd, I deliberately tried to stay out of that rabbit hole...
There's also the Fender pick on the table on the right...
Is that a pick? I thought it was a knot in the wood grain! I've never seen Leonard use a pick, playing finger-style as he does, but perhaps he used one at home.

Not a rabbit hole, re: the guitar -- definitely the Conde Hermanos, for it has a very distinctive headstock design, and if you look at photos of Leonard from the 1972 and 1974 tours, he is playing that guitar -- I've attached one, below, in which you can clearly see the headstock and lyre-style tuners.
Leonard Conde Hermanos.jpg
Lemon
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by Lemon »

Hartmut wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 5:39 pm
Lemon wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:01 pm Here's the flipped and zoomed-out paper with some of the words that led me to Nightingale:
Impressive! - I tried to do the same thing, but not very successfully. Did you use some super-specialised software?
Nothing special - just photoshop to flip and zoom. I did use the best frame I could from the documentary in 1080p, which was better than anything I could find online for the writing on the paper.
I also tried some online OCR and AI enhancement services, but they did not help. I hope that with enough advancements in AI, we might be able to some day extract information that was thought to have been lost.
LisaLCFan wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 7:47 pm
Lemon wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 3:01 pm ...As a guitar nerd, I deliberately tried to stay out of that rabbit hole...
There's also the Fender pick on the table on the right...
Is that a pick? I thought it was a knot in the wood grain! I've never seen Leonard use a pick, playing finger-style as he does, but perhaps he used one at home.

Not a rabbit hole, re: the guitar -- definitely the Conde Hermanos, for it has a very distinctive headstock design, and if you look at photos of Leonard from the 1972 and 1974 tours, he is playing that guitar -- I've attached one, below, in which you can clearly see the headstock and lyre-style tuners.
Leonard Conde Hermanos.jpg
Thanks, I'm now convinced about the guitar, unless someone can prove otherwise.

The pick/knot can be seen more clearly in this copy of the photo:
Image

Here's a zoomed version with brightness maxed out and contrast all the way down:

Image
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Hartmut
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by Hartmut »

Sorry for the apparently not-so-charming "Maybe".

Yes, I remember that you live in Canada.

It was a very quick and sloppy Google search. And, again, I'm sorry for doubting your expertise.

My attention span and my reading comprehension are not that good. Do you want to imply that that photo was taken in your house?
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LisaLCFan
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by LisaLCFan »

Lemon wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 10:19 pm ...The pick/knot can be seen more clearly in this copy of the photo...
Excellent, thank you! Definitely a Fender pick and not a knot!
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Hartmut
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by Hartmut »

Lemon wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 10:19 pm I did use the best frame I could from the documentary in 1080p, which was better than anything I could find online for the writing on the paper.
Ah! That's where I went wrong. Good job!
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LisaLCFan
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Re: Leonard Cohen's typewriter and mystery text in Dominique Issermann's photo

Post by LisaLCFan »

Hartmut wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 10:31 pm Sorry for the apparently not-so-charming "Maybe".

Yes, I remember that you live in Canada.

It was a very quick and sloppy Google search. And, again, I'm sorry for doubting your expertise.

My attention span and my reading comprehension are not that good. Do you want to imply that that photo was taken in your house?
No need to apologise -- I was genuinely amused to be questioned about my assertions re: Canadian light switches! :D

And no, the photo of Leonard was not taken in my house -- my windows are different! ;-) Cheers!
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