Historical information

Not much is known of this typewriter's provenance since it was first sold, but its date of manufacture can be ascertained from its serial number - "LS12092". The L series of Remington Standard 10s began in 1920, with numbers in the 10,000s indicating 1921. An 'S' as the second letter of a two letter prefix indicates the typewriter was manufactured in June. It was then sold in Australia by Chartres Pty. Ltd., where it could have been used in any area of office work - possibly for many years, given it is still functional today.

Significance

Typewriters were vital to the operation of a vast array of business, government, and personal endeavors. This is a functional, relatively old example of one major model, and is an exemplar of the typewriters of the early 20th century and their sturdy construction.

Physical description

This typewriter has a metal frame with black finish. It has a cylindrical platen on a carriage of black-finished metal and plated metal fittings. There is a curved folding paper guide behind platen. The type basket is horizontal and semicircular, with typebars pivoted at the rear. The ink ribbon is carried between two spools on horizontal axes, one on each side of the type basket. There are felt pads on the base of the four legs.

The typewriter has a four-row QWERTY keyboard with 42 character keys. The 'SHIFT LOCK' and 'SHIFT KEY' keys are to the left of keyboard, while the 'BACK SPACER' and 'SHIFT KEY' keys are to the right. All keys are circular, white (to various degrees of yellowing) with black lettering. At the top of keyboard are five circular keys with fading red and black paint, with the numbers 1-5 displayed behind respective keys. The spacebar is along the front of keyboard.

The typewriter's keys are all still functional.

Inscriptions & markings

Below Keys: "Remington Standard 10"
Above Keys: "1 2 3 4 5 / MADE AT ILION, NEW YOURK U.S.A."
Above Platen:
Upper Centre: "Remington"
Lower Left Logo, Main Text: "[TO SA?]VE TIME IS TO LENGTHEN LIFE / STANDARD / REMINGTON / TYPEWRITER"
Lower Left Logo, Left: "[illegible]"
Lower Left Logo, Right: "U.S. / PAT. / OFFICE"
Lower Right: "CHARTRES PTY. LTD. / REMINGTON HOUSE / [375?]-377 COLLINS ST. MELBOURNE"
Serial Number: "LS12092"