Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Machine, Adding |
Date |
c. 1941 |
Creator |
Burroughs Adding Machine Company |
Description |
An army green metal Class 9 portable Burroughs adding machine with various buttons. It features a paper roll for printing calculations and a black lever on the side. A piece of paper is taped to the metal front plate, listing the prices of products such as cigarettes, milk, eggs, and grain. It reads: "cigarets - $2.50 Large / $3.20 X-Large / $1.20 Small Tax $1.04 Milk - $1.59 Eggs - $1.20 Grain (any kind) 60 c Mix $2.20" |
History |
The Burroughs Adding Machine was invented by William Seward Burroughs in the late 19th century to aid in counting the endless stream of numbers he encountered as a bank clerk. After years of thinking, testing, and adapting his idea, he developed the first prototype in 1884, and his patent was granted four years later. Although he was not the first to invent a calculator or adding machine, his design was the first to dominate the market. Burroughs portable adding machines, first produced in 1925, became one of the company’s most successful products. Known as "full keyboard" machines, they had 9 number keys in each column and could be powered by an electric motor or manually by a hand crank. While earlier, bulkier models had been popular, the company needed to address the modern consumer's desire for a more portable and manageable machine. These portable models were a response to competition from Victor, American, Barrett, Standard, Universal, Wales, and many other companies producing portable machines at the time. This Class 9 portable Burroughs adding machine was produced during the Second World War. During this period, Burroughs produced machines in khaki and later in this army green colour beginning in 1941. These machines were often sold to the military, though some were available to civilians. Some featured special mechanisms to make the machines more rugged or safer for demanding wartime conditions. In 1945, the key shape changed to square keys instead of the rounded keys seen on this model, indicating that this machine was produced between 1941 and 1945. Decades later, this adding machine was purchased by the donor on a train ride across Canada in 1981. During their trip, which included stops in Winnipeg and Calgary, they visited a second-hand store and bought this machine. They brought it home to Mississauga for their nine-year-old daughter, who had many fond memories playing store with it. She wrote down all the prices of various imaginary items in her store and affixed the list to the machine, which is still visible today. The donor began working at St. Alfred's Separate School in Mississauga that year, teaching hundreds of students until her retirement in 2004. |
References |
Hancock, M. "Portable adders". Burroughs Adding Machine Company Information Resource. Retrieved from: https://michael63776.wixsite.com/burroughs2020/portable-adders "The Complete History of the Burroughs Adding Machine". History Computer, 2022. Retrieved from: https://history-computer.com/history-of-the-burroughs-adding-machine/ "When was my machine made?" Burroughs Adding Machine Company. Retrieved from: http://www.burroughsinfo.com/when-was-my-machine-made.html |