What's Up At Christof's

[Dickkooty2]

Wonderful, Christof ...

 

The pen holder, inkwell, and is that a pen, too?

 

But the Graphics!!!! The designer's work that permeated their printed works and packaging output.

 

Can you tell us who the designer might be? Was it Ludwig Hohlwein? I think El Lissitzsky was earlier with his more Russian inputs and Herbert Leupin was later in the '50s with the Pelikan ad series.

 

A side bar: Leupin for Pelikan and John Gilroy (?) for Guiness were both enamored of birds:

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj157/dick168/ScreenShot2014-03-30at10848PM_zps97d6d049.png

 

A great find!

 

Dick

[christof]

Dick

 

Yes, that is a pen in that box.

 

 

I wrote about it here: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/220855-whats-up-at-christofs/?p=3270584

 

I am not sure about the designer/graphic artist of the boxes. But I know that O.H.W. Hadank was working for Pelikan exclusively during this period. He designed the Logo and font/lettering of Pelikan in 1937.

 

 

 

 

More about this can be read here:

 

https://www.grafik.net/category/logoform/pelican-ink

 

And yes, I am a big fan of the work of Herbert Leupin. I really love this:

 

http://poster-auctioneer.com/images/products/107/poster_107505_z.jpg

 

But my favourite is this, made for the famous Swiss "Zirkus Knie" ( http://www.knie.ch/ ):

 

 

C.

Edited June 2, 2015 by christof

[Dickkooty2]

Thank you, Christof.

 

It is a pleasure to read your descriptions and information and to see your photographs of the pens and paraphernalia you collect and share with others!

 

Die knie beugen!

 

Dick

 

 

[BMG]

Here are a couple of pieces Lissitzky did for Pelikan that do not reflect his Suprematist leanings (if that's what was meant above for his "Russian input"):

 

http://www.artribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/08mart-el-lissitzky-pelican-1924.jpg

 

http://www.moma.org/collection_images/resized/456/w500h420/CRI_9456.jpg

 

 

I wonder if that is a Pelikan in the above photogram...

 

The following spread, from Kurt Schwitters’ *Merz,* that Lissitzky collaborated on (the journal, not necessarily the spread pictured here), does reflect Suprematist style:

 

 

And finally, here are a couple of collages by Schwitters that will be of interest to fans of a certain brand of German fountain pens / ink:

 

 

[Mookli]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I just love it.

http://www.maryhatay.com/Mark/Fountain-Pens/Mixed-Pens/i-DDxGPmG/0/X3/Pelikan-Posters-X3.jpg

[Frank C]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I just love it.

 

 

I don't care if it has been posted before; I like it, too!

[christof]

 

I don't care if it has been posted before; I like it, too!

 

I don't think it has been posted here before. And I definitely like it too.

 

...commercial art makes even ink sexy!

 

C.

[christof]

 

I wonder if that is a Pelikan in the above photogram...

 

 

I don't think so. It looks like a safety pen to me.

C.

[Dickkooty2]

Re Lessitzky @ BMG above ...

 

Yes ...

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj157/dick168/Wallpaper_El_Lissitzky_01_by_celobuendia_zpsh34dbkve.jpg

 

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj157/dick168/BeatTheWhites_zpsqixn34qk.jpg

[BMG]

@Dickkooty2 – Ah if only that famous poster read:

 

Пеликаном красным бей белых !

 

[BMG]

I don't think so. It looks like a safety pen to me.

C.

 

I think you're right. And the clip looks like a double-ring, slip-on type clip.

[tenney]

These are great... thanks to all for posting. Some have dates on them (e.g. 1928) while others don't. t'would be nice to know (I seem to be more drawn, pardon the pun, to the 1920's art).

 

Were these spreads for magazines? Newspapers? Posters? ????

[BMG]

According to Detmar Schäfer’s *Pelikan: The Brand* book, Lissitzky worked for Pelikan from 1922–5. One or two comments there, and passages from his correspondance reproduced in the Lissitzky monograph published by Thames & Hudson reveal that he was rather unhappy working for them.

 

The pieces I posted are dated from 1924 ("Pelican Drawing Ink," "Siegellack" packaging, the photogram ink ad, and two-page spread from *Merz* vol. 11) and 1925 (the two Schwitters collages).

[tenney]

wow!thank you so very much!

[Frank C]

There is an old Lamy Box photo with a "Microsoft" Lamy Safari here:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/291810-lamy-microsoft-safari/

 

For those who like this sort of thing.

[duran]

I really like when vintage pens come in their box. And I specially like these basic but cool cardboard boxes of Pelikan. The solution to hold the pen in the box is quite simple: The box is too short. The pen only fits diagonally in and can't slip around in the box this way. I also like the charming graphic on the box which is also of very reduced style.

 

 

Now, this box is a little bit special. If you have a closer look, you will notice that the Logo and Letters on the outside are old style, and on the inside is the new style logo printed. As far as I know did the Logo change between 1937 and 1938. I suspect that this box has been made during this time frame. And the pen as well. All the black parts are made of hard rubber ( as usual until 1937) but the Logo on the cap top is the newer one.

 

 

But there is another thing that makes me believe that this pen belongs originally to this box: On the outside of the box is the nib size printed. It's "KF" which means "Kugelspitze Fein" ( Ballpoint tip fine). There is no marking on the pen, but the nib tip is clearly fine with ball point tip.

 

 

 

This is not a common nib size at all. That's why I think that every thing is original with this pen and box.

 

Usually I do restore my pens completely to best condition as possible. In this case I decided to leave every thing as it is, just to preserve originality. On the other hand, I have more than enough perfectly restored Pelikan 100's...

 

The only question leaving is: who was Ernst Bremer, the original owner of this pen?

 

 

But let's see what's next.

 

c.

 

nice catch, could you tell me is the ink view window vissible and if so what colour is it?

[christof]

The inkwindow should be reddish brown, as ususal for Pelikan of this period. Like this:

 

 

But on my pen, the inkwindow is quite dark.

 

There have been green ones also, but these are much harder to find than the brown ones.

 

 

Around 1939/40, the material changed and all inkwindows were light green:

 

 

c.

Edited June 10, 2015 by christof

[duran]

thanks, it will help me to date some of my pens more exactly

[Ambien]

The inkwindow should be reddish brown, as ususal for Pelikan of this period. Like this:

c.

 

Very pretty it reminds me of marble is it all celluloid? Thank you.

[christof]

Very pretty it reminds me of marble is it all celluloid? Thank you.

 

No, the section is hard rubber on this.

c.