Anne Frank's fountain pen.

[Henrik]

Zoe.

Totally off topic, but to a Dane, Dutch is understandable to some extend. We spell the words quite differently – but basically we use the same ones. So I understand some of it if I try to read it aloud.

"Wat loek" would be spelled “hvilken lyk(ke)” – but sound like wat loek.

 

I understand very well, that you didn't visit the house - it takes hours of waiting in line to get in.

Anyway, if you want to see more here’s the link:

http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online...ifact_10_0.html

 

greetings from Denmark

Henrik

 

[Shangas]

I had no idea my little thread would become this popular!!

[globetrotterjon]

I have been following this thread on and off for the past few weeks now. It's truly fascinating and amazing to see the extent to which FPN members are willing to research the history and provenance of Anne Frank's pen. Picking up on a theme here, would it be possible to organize a means to reach out to Mont Blanc or Pelikan to solicit these firms' thoughts on creating a limited edition (or even unlimited edition) pen commemorating Anne and for which a portion of the proceeds of the sales would go to a suitable charity - perhaps the Anne Frank House in the Netherlands, or perhaps a more generic modern fund to help the victims of modern day genocide and oppression? The irony is that MB has issued several LE pens for writers who probably never owned a MB or celebrities who were not writers. I am not begrudging MB its marketing decision - more power to them - but doing an Anne Frank LE strikes me as a no-brainer. Again, I am not claiming this idea by any means and am again, humbled and impressed by the passion with which many network members have taken up this thread.

[Henrik]

Sorry, I couldn't help it. I know it isn't for real, totally unscientific etc. but... just stumbled across this close up from the "re-enactment" at the Anne Frank House sometime in the 60 ies. As I wrote before - it might just fill out the role of "a fountain pen" and that's it. On the other hand, some one might have given it some thought....

 

kind regards

Henrik

Her it is:

[hardyb]

A.Frank at school desk, note pen grip:

[wpblaw]

I had no idea my little thread would become this popular!!

 

I'd like to thank you for it. I didn't read the diary back in high school when it was an option among the required readings (I chose Crime and Punishment which had its own lasting effects!). I'm a Catholic man married to a loverly Jewish woman who, incidentally, is not a fountain pen fan, this thread has opened up some interesting conversations about our beliefs, our sympathies and, of course, some discussion of fountain pens. She loved reading this thread as much as I did. And, as BillTheEditor's post suggests, life is fragile. To me, nothing "goes without saying" - so many thanks!

 

BTW, one would think that Waterman, Montblanc, Pelikan, or whatever company made this pen would've spent a few marks or francs (or euro) to discover the make of Anne's pen, not to exploit it, but for history's sake? Or is the source (her grandmother?) too attenuated to be traced?

[ruud2904]

Today, Anne is back in the news, as her original diaries and other writings will be on permanent display as from november 2009 in the "achterhuis", the place where they were written. The originals were left by Otto Frank to the National Institue for War Documentation. This institute now lends these documents to the Anne Frank Museum permenantly.

Great to hear that the orinals finally come "home", so Hans Westra (Museum Director) says.

 

I can only fully agree.

[lapis]

Don't forget, tomorrow she would have become 80 years old.

 

Mike

[montblancdude]

Dear Kitty,

 

Thursday, 11th November, 1943.

 

I have a good title for this chapter:

 

"ODE TO MY FOUNTAIN-PEN IN MEMORIAM".

 

My fountain-pen has always been one of my most priceless possessions; I value it highly, especially for it's thick* nib, for I can only really write neatly with a thick nib. My fountain-pen has had a very long and interesting pen-life, which I will briefly tell you about.

 

When I was nine, my fountain-pen arrived in a packet (wrapped in cotton-wool) as "sample without value" all the way from Aachen, where my grandmother, the kind donor, used to live. I was in bed with 'flu, while February winds howled round the house. The glorious fountain-pen had a red leather case and was at once shown round to all my friends. I, Anne Frank, the proud owner of a fountain-pen!** When I was ten I was allowed to take the pen to school and the mistress went so far as to permit me to write with it.

 

When I was eleven, however, my treasure had to be put away again, because the mistress in the sixth form only allowed us to use school pens and ink-pots.

 

When I was twelve and went to the Jewish Lyceum, my fountain-pen received a new case in honour of the great occasion; it could take a pencil as well, and as it closed with a zipp looked much more impressive.

 

At thirteen the fountain-pen came with us to the "Secret Annexe" where it has raced through countless diaries and compositions for me.

 

Now I am fourteen, we have spent our last year together.

 

It was on a Friday afternoon after five o'clock. I had come out of my room and wanted to go and sit at the table to write, when I was roughly pushed to one side and had to make room for Margot and Daddy who wanted to practice their "Latin". The fountain-pen remained on the table, unused while, with a sigh, it's owner contented herself with a tiny corner of the table and started rubbing beans.

 

"Bean rubbing" is making mouldy beans decent again. I swept the floor at a quarter to six and threw the dirt, together with the bad beans, into a newspaper and into the stove. A terrific flame leapt out and I thought it was grand that the fire should burn up so well when it was practically out. All was quiet again, the "Latinites" had finished, and I went and sat at the table to clear up my writing things, but look as I might, my fountain-pen was nowhere to be seen. I looked again, Margot looked, but there was not a trace of the thing; "Perhaps it fell into the stove together with the beans," Margot suggested. "Oh, no, of course not!" I answered. When my fountain-pen didn't turn up that evening, however, we all took it that it had been burnt, all the more as celluloid is terribly inflammable.

 

And so it was, our unhappy fears were confirmed; when Daddy did the stove the following morning the clip used for fastening was found amongst the ashes. Not a trace of the gold nib was found. "Must have melted and stuck to some stone or other," Daddy thought.

 

I have one consolation, although a slender one: my fountain-pen has been cremated, Just what I want later!

 

Yours,

 

Anne.

 

I thought this would be a nice entry for all you fellows. It's from the Diary of Anne Frank.

 

* - I assume that the pen probably had a broad nib.

 

** - This is the entry where my signature-quote comes from

 

And now - Does anybody know what fountain pen Anne might possibly have owned? I read somewhere that it might've been a Montblanc...Hmm. Since the pen doesn't exist anymore, I suppose this might be a hard question to answer...but I thought this might make for some interesting reading-material, if nothing more.

 

Is this seriously her diary entry?

[montblancdude]

As far as I know Anna Frank used a Mont Blanc pen.

 

I'm sure she did... no, wait, I just read other's posts on this thread, you're serious!

[welch]

Yes. (In English translation...)

[Sonnet]

Dear Kitty,

 

Thursday, 11th November, 1943.

 

I have a good title for this chapter:

 

"ODE TO MY FOUNTAIN-PEN IN MEMORIAM".

 

My fountain-pen has always been one of my most priceless possessions; I value it highly, especially for it's thick* nib, for I can only really write neatly with a thick nib. My fountain-pen has had a very long and interesting pen-life, which I will briefly tell you about.

 

When I was nine, my fountain-pen arrived in a packet (wrapped in cotton-wool) as "sample without value" all the way from Aachen, where my grandmother, the kind donor, used to live. I was in bed with 'flu, while February winds howled round the house. The glorious fountain-pen had a red leather case and was at once shown round to all my friends. I, Anne Frank, the proud owner of a fountain-pen!** When I was ten I was allowed to take the pen to school and the mistress went so far as to permit me to write with it.

 

When I was eleven, however, my treasure had to be put away again, because the mistress in the sixth form only allowed us to use school pens and ink-pots.

 

When I was twelve and went to the Jewish Lyceum, my fountain-pen received a new case in honour of the great occasion; it could take a pencil as well, and as it closed with a zipp looked much more impressive.

 

At thirteen the fountain-pen came with us to the "Secret Annexe" where it has raced through countless diaries and compositions for me.

 

Now I am fourteen, we have spent our last year together.

 

It was on a Friday afternoon after five o'clock. I had come out of my room and wanted to go and sit at the table to write, when I was roughly pushed to one side and had to make room for Margot and Daddy who wanted to practice their "Latin". The fountain-pen remained on the table, unused while, with a sigh, it's owner contented herself with a tiny corner of the table and started rubbing beans.

 

"Bean rubbing" is making mouldy beans decent again. I swept the floor at a quarter to six and threw the dirt, together with the bad beans, into a newspaper and into the stove. A terrific flame leapt out and I thought it was grand that the fire should burn up so well when it was practically out. All was quiet again, the "Latinites" had finished, and I went and sat at the table to clear up my writing things, but look as I might, my fountain-pen was nowhere to be seen. I looked again, Margot looked, but there was not a trace of the thing; "Perhaps it fell into the stove together with the beans," Margot suggested. "Oh, no, of course not!" I answered. When my fountain-pen didn't turn up that evening, however, we all took it that it had been burnt, all the more as celluloid is terribly inflammable.

 

And so it was, our unhappy fears were confirmed; when Daddy did the stove the following morning the clip used for fastening was found amongst the ashes. Not a trace of the gold nib was found. "Must have melted and stuck to some stone or other," Daddy thought.

 

I have one consolation, although a slender one: my fountain-pen has been cremated, Just what I want later!

 

Yours,

 

Anne.

 

I thought this would be a nice entry for all you fellows. It's from the Diary of Anne Frank.

 

* - I assume that the pen probably had a broad nib.

 

** - This is the entry where my signature-quote comes from

 

And now - Does anybody know what fountain pen Anne might possibly have owned? I read somewhere that it might've been a Montblanc...Hmm. Since the pen doesn't exist anymore, I suppose this might be a hard question to answer...but I thought this might make for some interesting reading-material, if nothing more.

 

Is this seriously her diary entry?

 

Having re-read the book last year I can say that yes, this is a passage from the diary.

 

[Shangas]

Yes, it is an actual diary entry. I copied it, word-for-word from my English version of the diary (The original was written in Dutch, I believe).

[Gehaha]

Hello,

Today, 11. June is her 80. birthday.

We had a wonderful celebration at the "Deutsches Theater" in Berlin.

Her Cousin and girlfriend from school were there and a famous

german actress, Heike Makatsch, read parts from her diary

for a big audience. I saw a lot of children there.

 

Let's remember her.

 

Best,

Anna

 

 

[welch]

The Kaweco DIA somehow "feels" right to have been Anne's pen.

 

I got one...very small black pen. I don't have a ruler handy, but capped it is almost a half-inch shorter than a capped Esterbrook Small J. When posted, it is a comfortable lenth, with the tip a shade above bottom of the SJ's nib.

 

Gold nib, gold-ish clip, and two thin cap bands.

 

Why the Kaweco? A good pen, not too big for a child's hand, and big enough for a young teenager.

 

Further, I think that someone would have noticed a larger pen, and grabbed from the papers and such that were thrown into the fire. This little Kaweco is small enough that a person might miss it, especially in dim light.

 

Of course, we are unlkely to find solid evidence, but "something" about this little pen makes me put it atop my wife's copy of De Dagboeken van Anne Frank.

[Pepin]

probably a Lamy given her age.

[Artie]

On August 4th, 1944, Anne Frank and her family were found hiding in Amsterdam by the nazis following a tip-off from an informer who was never identified.

 

 

[welch]

Another date to remember.

 

Perhaps it is good to remember, on betrayal day, that some Dutch successfully hid Jews throughout the war. I've met some -- children who were hidden and people who hid them.

 

On August 4th, 1944, Anne Frank and her family were found hiding in Amsterdam by the nazis following a tip-off from an informer who was never identified.

 

 

[globetrotterjon]

There was a long thread on this about a year back. I believe the thought was it could have been a Sonnecken, Pelikan, or possibly a Mont blanc. I've been trying to organize a memorial/limited edition FP through some contacts in the industry. It's been surprisingly difficult to do.

[ruud2904]

.... I've been trying to organize a memorial/limited edition FP through some contacts in the industry. It's been surprisingly difficult to do.

 

So did I about a year ago. The kind answer I received was that the suggestion was well noted and would be passed on. Never heard any follow up.... so probably that means a no-no.

 

Ruud