Pen Nibs

Part of my Advertising collection covers items that advertise Pen Nibs.  As important as Ink and Inkwells are, without a good pen to write with, they are as nothing.

English pen nib manufacturers in the late 19thC were very keen to develop nibs that did not rust or corrode.  Ink is a very corrosive material, and having a top quality pen was most important.

Companies such as Joseph Gillots of Birmingham were very proud to have the Royal Warrant, pen makers to Queen Victoria and later King George V.  They even won the Grand Prix at the Paris International Exhibition, 1900, and Gold medals at both the 1878 and 1889 International Exhibitions.

Others such as Macniven and Cameron of Edinburgh, Scotland [a company established in 1770]  marketed the Owl and Waverley pens and boasted that their pens were recommended by 807 Newspapers.  They were Pen Makers to Her Majesty's Government Offices.

Another popular British pen manufacturer was Perry & Co of Birmingham.  They made a wide variety of pen nibs, desk accessories, and patented Inkwells.

Some Old Postcards

For a short time, I also collected old postcards with inkwells on them.
However, after a few months I realized there were so many available, and I would need yet another album just to keep them in.  So I restricted the collection to just a dozen or so, a few of which I will share today.

--This is from Hungary

from Berlin

Playful kittens

A little boy playing at being a Lawyer in 1907