Ink Colors History

[Tim1028]

Does anyone know when ink colors other than black were first commercially available for fountain pens. I'm thinking the 1950s, but it may have been earlier. Of course, there are so many ink colors now, it boggles the mind. Thanks!

 

[psfred]

Very much earlier, as natural dye inks (logwood and vermillion, for example) were in use in the 1600's, long before "commerical" inks existed.

 

The invention of aniline dyes starting in the 1850's made a wide variety of colors available, especially blue. The aniline blue dye replaced indigo, which is much more of a pain to make and use. Red inks of various types were around before that, and pigmented inks have always been in use.

 

Peter

[dcwaites]

Look at these two links to pages on Richard Connor's website.

Link 1

Link 2

 

Near the bottom of the page in Link 2 is a picture of an ink bottle from the 1920's. "Writes a bright blue drying?? to a permanent black"

 

 

[ZeissIkon]

Aniline, the first synthetic dye, is purplish in color, and was invented/discovered in 1856 (it says here William Henry Perkin was actually looking for a cure for malaria). Many of the early synthetic dyes were purples and blues, while carmine is a natural red dye; it's safe to say that there were red, purple, and blue dye inks available before there were modern type fountain pens in wide production to put them in. Greens, yellows, and oranges followed by around the turn of the 20th century.

Edited September 3, 2009 by ZeissIkon

[Tweel]

Does anyone know when ink colors other than black were first commercially available for fountain pens.

 

I think the first ink made specifically for fountain pens was Sheaffer's original "writing fluid" (predating Skrip), was introduced in 1920, and was Prussian Blue.

 

-- Brian

 

 

[sallywally]

Does anyone know when ink colors other than black were first commercially available for fountain pens. I'm thinking the 1950s, but it may have been earlier. Of course, there are so many ink colors now, it boggles the mind. Thanks!

 

Here's a quote from the Stylus site at the beginning of their Herbin color swatches:

 

The J. Herbin company was created in 1670, when Louis XIV was thirty-two years old. This illustrious ink is created with natural dyes and continues to be manufactured in France. A bottle of J. Herbin contains 30 mL of ink.

 

And I think Diamine inks have been manufactured since the mid-1860s.

 

And of course there has been ink since there's been writing.

 

But I don't know how the "commercially available" category and "fountain pens" as opposed to quills, dip pens, etc., came into being.....there are fountain pens available on vintage sites as old as 100 years at least....what a great thing to be interested in!