Green Inks In Britain's Culture

[boatswain_lok]

It was a long mystery for me why there is a strong affection of shady powerful characters in Britain's popular culture for the green inks.

Just to mention a few: All-mighty Control from le Carré's novels used only green inks for his personal writing; Harry Potter's mentor Dumbledore used only green ink.

Any suggestions?

[bobje]

An explanation of the green ink brigade.

 

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Green_ink

[inkstainedruth]

My understanding is that British Admirals used green ink, and that's why M (at least in the James Bond novels) used green.

OTOH, a character using green ink is a plot device in an Agatha Christie mystery, Hickory Dickory Dock (also, IIRC, known as Hickory Dickory Death) -- thus proving that the character's death is NOT a suicide, but a murder.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[The Good Captain]

I love writing in green. Even the Fisher ballpoint green is pleasing.

[boatswain_lok]

Thank you for your kind replies. Those are good directions for my search.

Let us assume that Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming's affection for green ink was a starting point for modern use of Green inks in literary culture.

Personally, I think that using "Green ink" to label lunatics is a bit of intentional substitution of meaning.

[Carrau]

An explanation of the green ink brigade.

 

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Green_ink

I wonder if the association of green ink with eccentrics had its origins in the 19th century craze for things green, unfortunately many of which were colored using arsenic. These uses included pigments/dyes that found use in clothing, wallpaper, cosmetics, fabrics,paints, tattoo inks, coatings for dip pen nibs (FPN member AAAndrew has mentioned this in posts) and it may not be too far a stretch to imagine it being used in writing ink. Ink on fingers might be transferred to ingestables in addition to transcutaneous movement into the body. Slow accumulation of arsenic might then lead to cognitive and behavioral changes (eccentricity?).

[Ted A]

Just from the first couple of lines of that wiki entry, it seems that Twitter posts should be required to only display in green

[Beechwood]

Interesting topic.

 

This has got me thinking about the relevance of colour, the one that comes to mind is to sign execution warrants in red, the other is that you wouldnt write in black to a relative, it would appear too sombre. At school the standard ink was blue, usually a mid blue and I dont think that there was very much choice on the UK high street beyond Parker washable blue. I understand that HM the Queen uses a special colour for her personal letters which is still made for her exclusive use by Parkers.

 

Most senior persons in UK government and business would have had a stand on their desk holding two inkwells, usually taking black and blue inks, I am sure the newest recruit would have the job of filling the inkwells from a giant Parker or Stephens bottle, may heaven help them if they were to spill the ink over the Bruce Partington Plans or similar.

 

To differentiate the signature of the boss from the hoi polloi I can imagine that they would want a green being a next best and suitable ink and that all others would be barred from its use.

[stenolearner]

My understanding is that British Admirals used green ink, and that's why M (at least in the James Bond novels) used green.

OTOH, a character using green ink is a plot device in an Agatha Christie mystery, Hickory Dickory Dock (also, IIRC, known as Hickory Dickory Death) -- thus proving that the character's death is NOT a suicide, but a murder.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

About M using green ink: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/5918467/MI6-boss-Sir-John-Scarlett-still-signs-letters-in-green-ink.html

[inkstainedruth]

Just from the first couple of lines of that wiki entry, it seems that Twitter posts should be required to only display in green

 

And quite a number on Facebook as well....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[JakobS]

However they came about in British culture, I do appreciate all the green inks that Diamine produces perhaps as a result!