[Williams, Tennessee]

A very early (probably 1920's) Remington portable manual typewriter with red Remington trademark label, celluloid keys in QWERTY layout, mounted to bottom portion of original black-cloth-covered carrying case, the lid lifting completely free of the typewriter. Typewriter 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 3 in.; case rather rubbed, carrying handle renewed.

Lady St. Just, hence by descent

A very early (probably 1920's) Remington portable manual typewriter with red Remington trademark label, celluloid keys in QWERTY layout, mounted to bottom portion of original black-cloth-covered carrying case, the lid lifting completely free of the typewriter. Typewriter 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 3 in.; case rather rubbed, carrying handle renewed.
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An important artifact in the history of American theater. This typewriter is accompanied by a large scrap of brown butcher's paper inscribed in red ink by Lady St. Just, "Tennessee WILLIAMS' typewriter on which he wrote 'A Streetcar Named Desire': given to Maria Britneva, London, early 1950's."Williams began work on 'Streetcar' in the spring of 1947 and continued to revise it right up until opening night in December of same year. He worked on the play in New York, Charleston SC, New Orleans, and other locations, so a portable typewriter was a necessity. This typewriter was around twenty-five years old when Williams used it for 'Streetcar.' It is possible he also used it for earlier plays, short stories, poems, and letters.  A later typewriter owned by Williams, an Olivetti Lettera 32 (1963 or later), is in the Tennessee Williams Collection at Columbia University. An archive of early manuscript and typescript drafts of the play was sold by Sotheby's New York, 14 December 2015, lot 108.

The typewriter used to compose 'A Streetcar Named Desire,' arguably the greatest play in the history of American theater.