Recommend Deco-styled Pens

[MidnightBlue]

For me it's the Wahl Eversharp circa 1930 Equipoise, or the Doric. See also Bexley 2009 LE Owners Club and of course the Phileas.

Thanks

[Artie]

The 51 styling was influenced by the Bahaus school of design. Bahaus was not deco but it was a foundation upon which deco designers built. You could say the same for some of the variations of the 51. The Waterman Charleston is a modern version of the 100 year pen which is very deco.

 

Many if not most of the Wahl Eversharp pens if the 1930's and 40's are very much in the Art Deco style.

[Richard]

The Skyline is not, repeat NOT, Art Deco. Art Deco was dead before the Skyline was designed.

 

Art Deco is characterized by stylized shapes, often geometric, frequently classical in sensibility. Here's a partial list of Art Deco pens:

 

Wahl-Eversharp Equi-Poised

Wahl-Eversharp Doric (a classic)

Wahl-Eversharp Pacemaker

Wahl-Eversharp Coronet

Wahl-Eversharp Fifth Avenue (oopsie!)

Parker Parkette Deluxe

 

Here's a partial list of NON-Art Deco pens:

 

Parker "51" (blind cap jewel is added ornament, "51" was not Bauhaus inspired but rather a product of practical engineering -- the Lamy 2000, utterly devoid of added ornamentation, is true Bauhaus design)

Eversharp Skyline (classic post-Art Deco streamlined modern)

Sheaffer's Balance (ergonomics, not Art Deco)

 

If you're looking for an Art Deco complement to the Skyline's design, look no further than the Dominator Globe d'Or, from France.

 

http://localhost/~richard/richardspens.com/images/coll/zoomed/dominator_capped.jpg

http://localhost/~richard/richardspens.com/images/coll/zoomed/dominator.jpg

 

But you'll notice that the Art Deco aspect of this design, comprising the stylized dome and clip, does not appear on the Skyline. It's been replaced by the smooth motion-inspired streamlining. Which is why the Twentieth Century Limited locomotives, also designed by Dreyfuss, are also not Art Deco despite their having been designed before the death of Deco.

Edited December 6, 2009 by Richard

[Russ]

I'm late returning to my own thread, and am surprised to see so many posts. Admittedly, I need help distinguishing between Art Deco and Art Nouveau, although I am pretty clear on Bauhaus. Richard nailed that down clearly. And I enjoy my Lamy 2000.

 

Many suggested vintage pens in response to my request for Art Deco. I am most interested in something modern ... and red, as in celluloid.

 

I'll check out the Bexley 2009 LE Owners Club and the Waterman Charleston.

 

Thanks for the engaging discussion!

[Artie]

Isn't there a difference between Art Deco design and Art Deco era? Even though the Art Deco period was just about ended by the time the Skyline was introduced in 1941, it is still based on the principles of Art Deco design. And if 5th Avenue is Art Deco why is that so if it was introduced in 1943? Art Deco is a style that is based on design principles whether or not it was produced during the period when it was at it's most popular. The Balance was introduced at the end of 1929, during the hey day of Art Deco and even though it's intent was ergonomic, it's streamlined design certainly adheres to Art Deco ideals. Design is often influenced by the fad of the era whether or not it was consciously attempting to be an active part of the movement.

Edited December 6, 2009 by Artie

[Artie]

"Parker "51" (blind cap jewel is added ornament, "51" was not Bauhaus inspired but rather a product of practical engineering "

 

That is one of the most prominent features that Bahaus considered essential to their philosophy. Again, while not necessarily consciously attempting to be Bahaus, it embodied one of the most essential aspects of what is considered core to Bahaus design.

Edited December 6, 2009 by Artie

[Joane]

I consider the Parker Duofold, contemporary or vintage, quintessential Art Deco styling. First of all, it is of the period. The current versions are a tribute to the design of the earlier pens and have classic Art Deco lines. Pricewise, I don't really know what vintage goes for today and I suspect the current ones may be priced at more than $325 today, but better prices can probably be found with sales and the secondary market.

 

Sorry. Tried to attach a photo but it didn't work.

Edited December 6, 2009 by Joane

[Artie]

Quote from Richard's site

"But by the mid-1930s Art Deco had begun to lose its luster, and its gradual demise led directly into the rise of streamlining. Designers began to apply sleek, wind-cheating curves to everything from cars (the Chrysler Airflow) to vacuum cleaners (the Electrolux XXX), from railroad locomotives (the Pennsylvania T-1) to buildings (the Chrysler Motors pavilion at the 1939 New York World’s Fair). It came as no surprise, therefore, when in 1941 Eversharp introduced its new Skyline pen. Styled by noted industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss, the Skyline featured a teardrop shape (below, lower) that epitomized the sleek look of streamlining — but was it all Dreyfuss’ idea? Or was he riffing, at least partially, on the Globe d’Or? What is certain is that he created the archetypical streamlined pen. Wrapped around Eversharp’s proven interior design and still existing in great numbers, the Skyline is today one of the most popular vintage pens."

 

This premise is based on the idea that streamline modern and art deco are two different movements which they are not. Art Deco is streamlined design. If it isn't there are several art history books that need to do some serious explaining and I need to apologize to a couple of generations of art history students I have taught.

 

And if a designer "borrowed" an Art Deco design and incorporated those design principles into another product, does that make it less deco? No, it makes it an imitation of a more original Art Deco design.

 

 

Finally if modern pens can have deco elements, other pens introduced after the design called deco had started to be replaced or evolve into other concepts, it does not change the fact that deco is deco no matter how late it was produced.

Edited December 6, 2009 by Artie

[Rufus]

Artie, am I then correct in my understanding that streamline moderne, as expressed,for example, in the Eversharp Skyline, is an offshoot or derivative of Art Deco? I find this a most interesting and illuminating thread.

Edited December 6, 2009 by Rufus

[Richard]

Artie, am I then correct in my understanding that streamline moderne, as expressed,for example, in the Eversharp Skyline, is an offshoot or derivative of Art Deco? I find this a most interesting and illuminating thread.

It's a successor. Streamlined design would not have evolved so early had Deco not been there before, but it was in some ways a reaction to Art Deco, which is not, as Artie states, streamlined by its very nature. If you believe that these three pens, all of which are Art Deco, are streamlined, then we'll have to agree to disagree.

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref/glossary/zoomed/wyvern.jpg

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref/deco/zoomed/coronet.jpg

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/coll/zoomed/eversharp_64.jpg

 

Streamlining eliminates the angular features of pens like these, to "cheat the wind."

[Richard]

I'm late returning to my own thread, and am surprised to see so many posts. Admittedly, I need help distinguishing between Art Deco and Art Nouveau, although I am pretty clear on Bauhaus. Richard nailed that down clearly. And I enjoy my Lamy 2000.

The overlays on these two Waterman 452s, made up to and after 1923, respectively, illustrate much of the difference between Art Nouveau (smoothly curvy, elegant, ornamented) and Art Deco (stylized, more "mechanical" and attuned to the machine age).

 

http://localhost/~richard/richardspens.com/images/coll/zoomed/452.jpg

 

http://localhost/~richard/richardspens.com/images/ref/52_profile/zoomed/452_v2.jpg

Edited December 6, 2009 by Richard

[Artie]

Artie, am I then correct in my understanding that streamline moderne, as expressed,for example, in the Eversharp Skyline, is an offshoot or derivative of Art Deco? I find this a most interesting and illuminating thread.

It's a successor. Streamlined design would not have evolved so early had Deco not been there before, but it was in some ways a reaction to Art Deco, which is not, as Artie states, streamlined by its very nature. If you believe that these three pens, all of which are Art Deco, are streamlined, then we'll have to agree to disagree.

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref/glossary/zoomed/wyvern.jpg

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref/deco/zoomed/coronet.jpg

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/coll/zoomed/eversharp_64.jpg

 

Streamlining eliminates the angular features of pens like these, to "cheat the wind."

 

Compared to this, yes they are "streamlined"

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii101/matthewsno/6184.jpg

 

It is too easy to take modern concepts of streamline and think those same ideas existed back when the concept was new. Yes they are sleek compared to what came before them. Below is a recap of what I said before:

 

Art Deco emerged as an attempt to merge industrial design with "fine art". Proponents wanted to work new materials- such as stainless steel. glass and plastics- into decorative patterns that could be machined or handcrafted and could-to a degree- reflect the simplifying trend in architecture. ... Art Deco had universal applications to buildings, interiors, furniture, utensils, jewelry, fashions, illustrations, commercial products of every sort.

 

Art Deco products have a "streamlined" elongated symmetrical aspect with simple hard shapes alternating with shallow volumes as seen in the new style architecture, the Jazz age and elegance as seen in the ocean liners of the times.

 

By "simplifying trend in architecture" it was an elimination of design ornate elements seen in earlier Gothic and Baroque architecture.

Edited December 6, 2009 by Artie

[Rufus]

Artie, am I then correct in my understanding that streamline moderne, as expressed,for example, in the Eversharp Skyline, is an offshoot or derivative of Art Deco? I find this a most interesting and illuminating thread.

It's a successor. Streamlined design would not have evolved so early had Deco not been there before, but it was in some ways a reaction to Art Deco, which is not, as Artie states, streamlined by its very nature. If you believe that these three pens, all of which are Art Deco, are streamlined, then we'll have to agree to disagree.

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref/glossary/zoomed/wyvern.jpg

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref/deco/zoomed/coronet.jpg

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/coll/zoomed/eversharp_64.jpg

 

Streamlining eliminates the angular features of pens like these, to "cheat the wind."

 

Compared to this, yes they are "streamlined"

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii101/matthewsno/6184.jpg

 

 

Art Deco products have a "streamlined" elongated symmetrical aspect with simple hard shapes alternating with shallow volumes as seen in the new style architecture, the Jazz age and elegance as seen in the ocean liners of the times.

 

By "simplifying trend in architecture" it was an elimination of design ornate elements seen in earlier Gothic and Baroque architecture.

 

Ergo, the Eversharp Skyline is Art Deco?

[Artie]

Art styles don't spring into existence at 12 midnight on January 1st and cease to exist at a precise moment in the future. Art Deco has a hard core center with growing pains early on and died a slow death, influencing industrial design clear into the "Atomic Age" of the 1950's. You could say one aspect of art deco is the only art deco there is but in reality it devolved until the highest form of the style was finally considered old fashioned. Art Deco has enjoyed a resurgence today with the ideals and design concepts being re interpreted to modern tastes as well as some designs being reincarnated entirely. I believe the Eversharp Skyline is a latter manifestation of the trend. Richard and others feel it is so far out of the mainstream as to not be considered part of the movement at all. You have to decide which side you agree with the most, just know your history before you make any final judgments.

Edited December 6, 2009 by Artie

[Joane]

Attempting again to post photo of Parker Duofold with Art Deco styling. This is a Cloisonné model from today, which retains the Duofold look of the 1920s:

 

http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab65/JoanePhoto/IMG_1724.jpg?t=1260115376

[Richard]

Art Deco products have a "streamlined" elongated symmetrical aspect with simple hard shapes alternating with shallow volumes as seen in the new style architecture, the Jazz age and elegance as seen in the ocean liners of the times.

According to your definition, perhaps. But according to several authoritative sources, the word "streamlined" isn't an essential element of Art Deco.

 

From the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary: "a popular design style of the 1920s and 1930s characterized especially by bold outlines, geometric and zigzag forms, and the use of new materials (as plastic)"

 

From the Collins English Dictionary: "a style of interior decoration, jewellery, architecture, etc., at its height in the 1930s and characterized by geometrical shapes, stylized natural forms, and symmetrical utilitarian designs adapted to mass production"

 

From the American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Edition: "A decorative and architectural style of the period 1925-1940, characterized by geometric designs, bold colors, and the use of plastic and glass"

 

This is not to say that streamlining is not an element of Art Deco -- it certainly is. But it is not the central aesthetic element as your definition suggests. This is Art Deco:

 

http://z.about.com/d/queens/1/0/-/6/art-deco-facade.jpg

 

So is this:

 

http://www.fabulousmasterpieces.co.uk/userimages/Art_Deco_Art.jpg

 

And so is this:

 

http://www.sheepdogpd.com/blog/freebies/art-deco-frame.jpg

 

One more:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/shared/distro/deco_logo.png

 

Oh, and one with streamlining:

 

http://whathappenstwice.com/galleries/art_deco/images/art-deco---11.jpg

 

This last image shows designs by Norman Bel Geddes, one of the top industrial designers of the era. I have his book on design, and it's fascinating.

[andyk]

Modern Pen that is kinda art deco, Waterman Charleston?

 

Hi,

 

Just what I was going to say as well and they are also great writers.

 

Andy

[Artie]

I will agree that streamlining is not an essentiall theme to Art Deco. i was defending it because you seemed to rule it out as a valid design element when you disputed my opinion.

 

Art Deco isn't as narrowly defined, IMHO as your interpretation.

 

The underlined statement about streamlining above, BTW, is a quote from Gardner's Art Through The Ages, eleventh edition.

Edited December 6, 2009 by Artie

[Richard]

I will agree that streamlining is not an essentiall theme to Art Deco. i was defending it because you seemed to rule it out as a valid design element when you disputed my opinion.

Sounds to me as if what we had was a failure to communicate. Issue resolved, happy camper here.

 

The rest of you, as you were. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em.

[rhosygell]

I also like Art Deco designs and to me the Waterman Ink Vue is the finest manifestation of this movement in terms of pen styling.

 

Go for an Ink Vue and you will not be disappointed - they are terrific writers and utterly dependable. I use mine regularly.

 

Also add a Skyline, although it is not strictly deco it is a damn good pen by any standards.