Skip to main content
Go to accessibility options

Description

[George Bernard Shaw]. 1934 Remington Noiseless 7x (Serial Number N 40911). 12" (L) x 11 1/2" (W) x 5" (H); in original case 12 1/2" x 12 3/4" x 5 3/4". Black ribbon. Normal wear from use.

Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw is one of only two individuals ever to be awarded both a Nobel Prize (for Literature in 1925) and an Academy Award (Best Writing, Screenplay in 1939 for the adaptation of his play Pygmalion into the film My Fair Lady). This 1934 typewriter, acquired in 1935, was used by the prolific author during the last decade and a half of his life. He has scrawled his name and the address of his country home in Hertfordshire, "Bernard Shaw. Ayot St Lawrence. Welwyn, Herts." on the printed paper warranty label affixed to the inside of the typewriter case. The name and address, though faded and ripped, are still visible. In a 1946 interview with British Pathé's Teddy Ashwood, this very typewriter is present in the "writing hut," located in the garden of the home affectionally called Shaw's Corner. In video footage of the Ashwood interview, the playwright is recorded not only with the typewriter in his writing hut, but Shaw is seen repositioning the typewriter, taking out a sheet of paper, threading it into the typewriter, and beginning to type away while Ashwood narrates, "I persuaded him to put on record the way he does his work."

Shaw gifted this typewriter to his longtime private secretary, Blanche Patch. It became a part of The Collection in 2008. Accompanied by related ephemera.

Provenance: From The Soboroff Typewriter Collection


Auction Info

Auction Dates
December, 2023
15th Friday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 5
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 930

Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $300,000 (minimum $49), plus 20% of any amount between $300,000 and $3,000,000, plus 15% of any amount over $3,000,000 per lot.

Shipping, Taxes, Terms and Bidding
Charges to be determined based on Actual Shipping Costs incurred. Note: Additional invoice may follow original. Please contact us for more information. Sales Tax information

Important information concerning Sales Tax and Resale Certificates. Learn More

Terms and Conditions  |  Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments |  Glossary of Terms
Sold on Dec 15, 2023 for: $10,625.00
Track Item