Typewriter Dusting Brush
Title
Typewriter Dusting Brush
Description
Typewriter manufacturing companies of the early twentieth century often paired the machines with a manual and a cleaning kit, providing consumers with two cleaning brushes, an oil can, and a small screwdriver. This "Typewriters Companion" dusting brush, made in France, would have been paired with a shorter, stiff-bristled brush that was used first to remove the hardened grime from between the type keys. The dusting brush was typically used after the type brush to wiping the typewriter clean of loosened dirt and dust without harming it. The handle was originally threaded with horsehair bristles, creating a much softer surface than the wire bristles of its partner, the type brush. With its long, curved handle and its wide set of soft bristles, the Typewriters Companion played a significant role in maintaining typewriters in the early twentieth century.
Source
Recovered from excavation prior to construction of Rutgers-Camden dormitory at 330 Cooper Street, Camden, N.J.
Publisher
Rutgers University-Camden
Date
c. 1880-1930; photographs, March 2018.
Contributor
McKenna Britton (Graduate Student, American Material Culture, Spring 2018)
Rights
Collection of Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts
Relation
Affleck, Richard, George Cress, Ingrid Weubber, Rebecca White, Kimberly Morrell, and Thomas Kutys. Phase II and Data-Recovery Archaeological Excavations of the Smith-Maskell Site Cooper Street Development Camden, New Jersey. Archaeological Excavation Report, Burlington: URS Corporation.
Format
Bone brush handle, 14.5 cm (length) x 0.5 cm (width).
Original Format
Photograph
Collection
Citation
“Typewriter Dusting Brush,” Learning From Cooper Street, accessed September 12, 2024, https://omeka.camden.rutgers.edu/items/show/4.