Early fountain pens. (Approx 1890-1910).

[Shangas]

Hey guys,

 

Thanks to this website, various other websites, and my own kitten-like curiosity; I now know a substantial amount more about fountain pens than I previously did.

 

I made this topic in "Pen History" because I have a question to ask of the more knowledgeable FPNs. And that question is:

 

What type of pens were made between the years 1890-1910? I know stuff like the Duofold, the Vacumatic, the Meisterstuck etc...came after 1920 - But what came before that?

 

BTW - To make myself clear - I'm talking about SPECIFIC pen-models/designs, NOT the companies themselves. What these pens were named, who made them, and what year they were made (The closer to the years 1890-1900, the better), and photos (if possible). Or if someone could direct me to a site with information like that, that would be great.

 

I'm asking about this stuff because I like gathering information for my stories (no, I'm not actually writing one) and I'd like to have info such as this, on hand, in case I write a story set around the turn of the 20th century.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Shangas.

[Richard]

During 1890s, the most common type of fountain pen was a straight-cap ED, perhaps like these:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/rival.jpg

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/luckycurve_no_1.jpg

 

Cone caps were becoming more common:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/beaumel.jpg

 

Self fillers began appearing right around the turn of the century; the first really successful one was Conklin's Crescent-Filler:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref_info/crescents/crescent_c34.jpg

 

Waterman's sleeve filler appeared in 1906 -- sorry, mine has no cap, so I haven't shot it yet. Sheaffer invented the lever filler in 1907 but didn' go into business until after 1910.

[Shangas]

Hey thanks, Richard.

 

So what are those three pens up there? I recognise the Conklin Crescent-Filler. Do those three pens have caps? And what would a late 19th/turn of the century FP be made of? Rubber? Metal?

[AllWriteNow]

Shangas

Her's an early pen. Eagle Pencil Co. Patented 1890 Glass Cartrdige filler

 

Anybody reading this... I could use a feed for it

 

[bbqncigars]

Ohmigawd, that's a beautiful pen!

 

 

Wayne

[Richard]

So what are those three pens up there? I recognise the Conklin Crescent-Filler...

Pens of that period are generally made of hard rubber. They might be chased or otherwise decorated, or they might have overlays of metal like the one on this Waterman's Ideal Nº 452 (a later pen, but consistent with overlay styling of the Oughties):

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/452.jpg

 

Another popular overlay style was the use of mother-of-pearl or abalone shell, as on this no-name ED:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/frankendropper.jpg

 

Obviously, there were metal pens, too, such as that lovely Eagle cartridge model.

 

The pens in my earlier posting are:

1. "The Rival," by H. M. Smith, 1890s (ED)
2. Parker Lucky Curve Nº 1, c. 1905 (ED)
3. Beaumel, c. 1910 (ED)
4. Conklin's Crescent-Filler C30, c.1910 (self filler)

[Shangas]

Ah okay. Thanks Richard. You're a gem.

[halljer]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...ost&id=7863[/img]

 

The above link is to the Cross Forum where I have posted a pic of a 1902 Cross straight cap eyedropper filler. That was a typical fountain pen of the day, black hard rubber, held a lot of ink, was messy to fill, and perhaps messy to use.

 

In some older pens, like my Waterman 0502 GF overlay, they had a small twisted wire inserted in the section that extended about an inch into the barrel/reservoir to facilitate the ink flow.

 

Also common at the time were the small pen/pencil combo GF engraved metal sliding pens with semi-precious jewels in the ends that were easily carried in the vest pocket, worn on a pendant or lanyard, and required dipping. These were popularly made by Aiken-Lambert and John Holland. Some refer these to fountain pens because they could be easily transported and used with a traveling inkpot.

 

The tapered cap eyedroppers, like the Waterman 22, were essentially the same pen as the straight cap pens, but sold well because they gave the traditional appearance of the desk dip pen. Gradually, out of necessity, pens became adorned with slip on pocket clips. I guess people got tired of losing their pens because they fell out of their pockets so easily.

 

I hope this helps a little.

 

Best regards,

 

Jerry

 

 

[Shangas]

Hey,

 

Thanks for the replies, everyone. This information is great. If anyone else has pictures & info & dates of early fountain pens, pop them in here. I'm always willing to look at more of them.

[George]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=34225

 

Here is a 1909 Conklin with a bit of a twist. Im still unsure on what happened on this pen. A test of the screw cap?

If your looking for a 1890-1910, get a Conklin or a Waterman ED. You won't be upset.

[Shangas]

Oh I'm not looking to BUY ONE, good heavens no. I just want to know more about them.

 

If I wanted to buy a vintage fountain pen, I'd buy a Parker Duofold.

[Richard]

If I wanted to buy a vintage fountain pen, I'd buy a Parker Duofold.

Like this one?

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/bigred.jpg

 

Or do you go more for the streamlined version?

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/collection/zoomed/newred.jpg

 

[Shangas]

I'm honestly not sure yet, Richard.

 

Duofolds were made from 1921,

They changed to plastic in 1926,

And then there are the MODERN Duofolds.

 

I'm not sure which one to get, if I get one at all, because I can see ups and downs with all of them.

[Tweel]

If I wanted to buy a vintage fountain pen, I'd buy a Parker Duofold.

Like this one? [pic: candy]

Or do you go more for the streamlined version? [pic: more delicious candy]

Lord-a-mercy, would that I could, I'd go for the streamlined version, Mister!

 

-- Brian

 

[Johnny Appleseed]

Richard covers the basic design of the early pens - with few exceptions fountain pens from that era looked like one or the other of the examples that he shows. Most pens were eyedropper-filled round sticks of hard rubber, with some decorations. Of course, there were some unique patterns of decoration, such as the John Holland cable-twist chain designs, etc.

 

Paul Wirt was one of the major players in the pen world from 1880-early 1900s. There is a good website by Bruce Speary on Wirt http://www.paulwirt.com/, with history of the company and some pictures of pre-1900 pens. Ron Dutcher also has an excellent website, though I think portions of it are either under construction or impacted by the earthquake in Okinawa - there may be some dead links. www.wirtpens.com.

 

Waterman was also one of the big players from 1884 till, well, today. There is a lot of early Waterman articles and pictures around on the net. Here is one on "Oldest Surviving Waterman?" and "Oldest Waterman Ad". For some discussion of early Waterman pens at Lion and Pen, see Waterman #1 or #2, My dream pens. David Nishimura also has a nice selection of Waterman eyedroppers listed in his catalog with several nice pictures of 1902-1920s pens -Waterman Eyedroppers at Vintagepens.com (no affiliation).

 

Caws was another early pen company in New York. They were incredibly aggressive with their advertising in the period you are looking at - the New York Times from that period is peppered with ads for the Caws Dashaway. A good article can be found here - Caws Fountain Pen and Ink Company - Francis Cashel Brown.

 

And then there was Mabie Todd- some nice photos may be found here, as well as info on the book Mabie in America.

 

For John Holland - History of John Holland, by L. Michael Fultz .

 

Ron Dutcher keeps an archive of pen-related tidbits, including info on a number of early nib-makers and fountain pen makers - several 1880-1910 companies can be found here - Kamakura Pen's Archive.. Michael Fultz articles over at Penbid are also a great source of eclectic pen information on a variety of companies, including some early and obscure ones - L. Michael Fultz articles.

 

In our own Pen History forum you can find:

 

A collection of Ads posted by AntoniosZ from the MIT student newspaper "The Tech", including FP ads in The Tech - Part I: 1881-1899, FP ads in The Tech - Part II: Moore ads 1902-1915, FP Ads in the Tech Part III: 1900-1919 (others)

 

A collection of pen-related patents prior to 1873 - A Quasi-complete List Of Patents Upto 1873

 

And going back a bit more there is Prince's Protean: The Ne Plus Ultra For Writers,, circa 1855-1870s - with lots of links to other articles from other writers about Prince's Protean pen.

 

More on the Eagle Cartridge pens from David Nishimura - Early Cartridge Pens

 

And let's not forget that in the 1870s the most successful "Fountain Pen's" were the McKinnon and Cross Stylographic pens, which lost groundto nibbed pens in the 1880-1890s, but maintained a strong following - Stylographic Pens (David Nishimura)

 

And that is really just the tip of the iceburg in terms of reference material.

 

Anyone else with pictures of early pens in their collections?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[EventHorizon]

I have this Eagle Dip Pen whereas the point retracts back into the barrel (early VP?). There is a number on the pen 1890 (or 96 I forget) which I am assuming is the date.

[adair]

What a fascinating thread, and what gorgeous photos. But, how did/do these pens write? Did the early ED's leak? Was the flow of ink better or comparable to a modern fountain pen? Were they dependable or frustrating instruments? One thing is sure: they were beautiful objects. Thank you all for so much interesting information.

[Shangas]

From what I've read - early fountain pens suffered greatly from inkflow problems. The absence of proper feeds (which regulate ink & air-flow), meant that pens were prone to skipping and clogging.

[HLeopold]

What a fascinating thread, and what gorgeous photos. But, how did/do these pens write? Did the early ED's leak? Was the flow of ink better or comparable to a modern fountain pen? Were they dependable or frustrating instruments? One thing is sure: they were beautiful objects. Thank you all for so much interesting information.

 

Early feeds were not very sophisticated in design, so did not control ink flow as well as the much better, and later feeds do. About the best of the early feeds used the so called spoon feed, which helped hold some ink near the nib, but nothing in comparison to what a comb feed can hold. So such early nibs can let out too much at one time or not hold enough, especially with highly flexible nibs that when flexed wide dump loads of ink to the paper at once, to write without skipping or force you to slow way down. See the video by AZ (sorry, can’t think how to spell his name right now, but it should be in the calligraphy topic area. Watch how on down strokes the nib flexes wide and lots of ink is needed to cover a wide line, move the pen too fast and it breaks into two thin lines instead of a broad stroke. A pen with a good comb feed would hold a lot more ink to handle such demands and also control extra blops of ink that might come out of the pen.

 

The lack of ink holding in early feeds is why you see some pens with double feeds, a feed that covers not only the usual bottom of the nib, but the top of it as well. It was an attempt to get enough ink to the nib to handle peak demands for ink. (Mabie Todd Swans used a lot of double feeds long after most had stopped using them.)

[AllWriteNow]

I picked up a great Paul Wirt Eyedropper today Dated 1903

Here's a pic...