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IBM ThinkPad 701C

This IBM ThinkPad 701C is a pretty nifty model with a collapsible keyboard, though the keyboard is stuck in the open position. It sat in my grandfather Henry’s workshop on a shelf for at least 20 years, likely more like 30 or 40.

When I removed it for this project, I plugged it in and was astounded that it turned on and showed the Windows ‘95 logo. It crashed and failed to boot after that point, however. I got it to boot up exactly once, in safe mode, and was able to see that it had documents containing patient session notes, as well as financial documents and notes about my grandparents’ house.

My grandfather Henry used this laptop to take patient notes during therapy sessions, likely using it up until the early 2000s. He continued treating his oldest patients into his 80s, although at that point the relationships were more like old friends than a typical clinician-patient relationship.

If you’re viewing this in an exhibition, I invite you to try to turn it on and read some of the patient notes or financial documents on it. Follow these steps to try:

  1. Flick the power switch on the left side of the device.
  2. Wait for the screen to show an error message. Follow the instructions to press the esc key to continue booting.
  3. When the Windows 95 logo appears, press the F8 key to go to the menu for booting options. This menu may also appear automatically.
  4. Use the arrow keys to select the option for ‘Boot in safe mode’. Hit enter to select this option.
  5. Wait patiently. If the process fails, turn it off and on again and repeat.

The ThinkPad sits on top of two cardboard boxes:

Image of two cardboard boxes, the top one saying ORIGINAL SOCIET VODKA Made in USSR and the bottom one reading BALLANTINE Ale America's finest since 1840

The top box is an old Vodka box from the USSR. The bottom box is an old Ballantine Ale box full of books. There’s another box like it in the wine cellar/ski room in my grandparents’ basement. Here is a picture of the books in this one, as I found them:

Image of the books contained in the Ballantine Ale box

The one that stands out to me most is The Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Socialism and Capitalism by the Irish playwright Bernard Shaw. Shaw described this book as his ‘magnum opus’. The Worcester Account by S.N. Berhman is also interesting, since my grandmother Judy is from Worcester. I wonder if these were her books.