Manufactured by
S.S. Company, American
Used by
Peters, Cortez W. Sr., American, 1906 - 1964
Date
mid 20th century
Medium
metal
Dimensions
H x W x D (Left spool): 13/16 × 2 3/8 × 2 3/8 in. (2 × 6 × 6 cm)
H x W x D (Right spool): 13/16 × 2 3/8 × 2 3/8 in. (2 × 6 × 6 cm)
Caption
Cortez W. Peters, Sr. was the first African American to win and hold the title of the World’s Accuracy Typist upon winning the World’s Amateur Typing Contest in 1925.
Born in 1906 in Baltimore, Maryland, Peters taught himself to type at the age of 11 after his father, a watchmaker, received a used typewriter as payment for his services. His self-taught style accounted for his unique typing methodology for developing accuracy and speed.
In 1934 Peters, Sr. opened the Cortez Peters Business School in Washington, D.C. Over the next seven years two more locations opened, in Baltimore (1935) and Chicago (1941), and remained in operation until the mid-1970s. The schools were among the only privately owned African American schools in the nation, and were among the first to teach the professional skill or typing to a black audience. In addition to typing, the schools also taught shorthand and other clerical skills to help African Americans break into white collar professions. Eventually the school expanded to cover 22 subjects and taught an estimated 100,000 students across all three locations.
Cortez W. Peters, Jr. helped his father run these institutions, eventually taking over after his father’s death in 1964. Peters, Jr. was an accomplished typist in his own right, winning several awards for both speed and accuracy. Together the pair honed and taught the Cortez Peters typing methodology in their schools and later through books and online. This method is knows as an “individual diagnostic/ prescriptive method” and focuses on identifying issues with an individual’s typing methods and developing personalized strategies to create new learned behaviors. This method is seen as the foundation of modern typing instruction.
Description
2019.30.2.2ab
A typewriter twin spool assembly for a half inch ribbon used by Cortez W. Peters, Sr.
2019.30.2.2a
A typewriter left spool for a half inch ribbon used by Cortez W. Peters, Sr. The spool is constructed from black metal. It has two round plates connected by a circular shaft. The top plate has three (3) petal-shaped cut outs and a “V” shaped opening that extends from the center of the plate to the outer edge. There is also a circular cut out, a recess for a finger, between two of the petal cutouts. The bottom plate has two (2) small cut outs, two (2) lugs, and a small spring trigger. Text stamped along the outer edge of the bottom plate reads [U.S PAT NO. 2486473] and [MFG BY S.S. CO. INC.U.S.A.].
2019.30.2.2b
A typewriter right spool for a half inch ribbon used by Cortez W. Peters, Sr. The spool is constructed from black metal. It has two round plates connected by a circular shaft. The top plate has three (3) petal-shaped cut outs and a “V” shaped opening that extends from the center of the plate to the outer edge. There is also a circular cut out, a recess for a finger, between two of the petal cutouts. The bottom plate has two (2) small cut outs, two (2) lugs, and a small spring trigger. Text stamped along the outer edge of the bottom plate reads [US Patent No. 2486 473].
Classification
Tools and Equipment-Occupational
Type
typewriters
Topic
Business
Communication
Education
Labor
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Joanne Peters King and Darryl Wayne Joyce
Object number
2019.30.2.2ab
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd505209ee0-e638-45c2-b236-fd4a60dbae5f

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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