Paul Laurence Dunbar Typewriter   Save
Ohio History Connection
Description: Paul Laurence Dunbar used a Remington Standard typewriter to compose lyrics for "Candle-Lightin' Time," "When Malindy Sings," and "Howdy, Honey, Howdy." The typewriter was made by the Wycoff Seoma Company of New York in the 1890s. It measures 12.59 by 16.14 by 13 inches (32 by 41 by 33 cm). Dunbar (1872-1906) is acknowledged as the first significant African American poet in the United States. He was born in Dayton to parents who were former slaves. After high school, the Wright Brothers assisted Dunbar in publishing the Dayton Tattler, an African-American newspaper. On his 20th birthday, he gave the welcoming address to the Western Association of Writers, then convening in Dayton. At the meeting Dunbar was befriended by James Newton Matthews, who praised Dunbar's work in a letter to an Illinois newspaper that was reprinted across the nation. James Whitcomb Riley, also known as the "Hoosier poet," read Dunbar's work and wrote him a commendatory letter. Encouraged by Riley and Matthews, Dunbar decided to publish his poems. At the 1893 World's Fair, Frederick Douglas heard Dunbar recite one of his poems, and called him "the most promising young colored man in America." Dunbar received critical acclaim for his other works, including Lyrics of a Lowly Life and Majors and Minors, ten other books of poetry, four books of short stories, five novels and a play. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1432_1500113_001
Subjects: Literary Ohio; African American Ohioans; Dunbar, Paul Laurence, 1872-1906; Typewriters; Authors
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)