Historical information
The typewriter was owned by John Stephens, a grocer at the J. Mann & Sons General Store in Wodonga from 1971. John purchased the typewriter in the 1940s. He died in 1990. The maker of the machine, Royal Typewriter Company Inc. was founded in New York City in 1904 by Edward B. Hess and Lewis C. Myers. The company was purchased by Italian typewriter and computer manufacturer Olivetti in 1986.
Significance
John Stephens typewriter forms part of a collection of objects from the J. Mann & Sons General Store held by the Wodonga Historical Society, and reflects the social history of the city.
Physical description
Black metal typewriter in black leather case
Inscriptions & markings
Maker logo "ROYAL" embossed on the face of the typewriter above the keys in silver, and on the back of the machine under paper tray. Serial number engraved on the back left inner corner of the typewriter reads J37338
Subjects
References
- Royal Consumer Information Products Inc., 'Our History' Accessed 5 February 2021
- Typewriter Database, 'Royal Typewriters by year then serial number' Accessed 5 February 2021
