Before the invention of the modern pen, an inkwell remained a necessity if one wished to write with ink (vs. writing in pencil). Such an inkwell could be as ordinary as a little stoneware pot. Or it could be as luxurious as a golden-enameled Fabergé fixture standing upon a Tsar's desk. Quills and pen nibs had to be dipped frequently into the ink while writing. In 1809, the first patent was issued for a "fountain pen"—that is, a pen which held a supply of ink within its body, thus eliminating the need for constant dipping. (Although variations of this design had been attempted and used prior to 1809.) Even fountain pens needed to be refilled now and then (sometimes at an inkwell).
The fate of the inkwell was sealed with the commercial production of the ballpoint pen. A ballpoint pen (also called a biro, a ball pen, or a Bic), is a pen with self-contained ink which flows down around a little ball, locked within a socket at the tip of the pen. The first patent for such a pen was issued to John Loud in 1888. His intention was to create an instrument which could write on rough surfaces (like cardboard or leather). It was a crude invention—more suitable as a marker than as a fine writing instrument (for smooth paper). In time, Loud's patent lapsed, after which no one else managed to produce a workable ballpoint pen (with the ideal flow of quick-drying, smudge-free ink which would not dry-up within the barrel of the pen).
In 1938, Hungarian newspaperman László Bíró filed a British patent for the modern ball point pen. He noted that newspaper ink dried quickly with little smudging. With his brother (a chemist), he refined the ink (into a paste) and improved the ballpoint ink delivery mechanism. As World War II loomed, Bíró's Jewish family emigrated to Argentina where they began production of the pen (and where it is still called a Bíró). The improved pen became popular. It proved useful for military applications and worldwide sales took-off after the war ended. Today, billions of ballpoint pens are made every year. China, alone, makes 38 billion ballpoint pens each year. (The United States makes 2 billion.) And 15 million ballpoint pens are sold every day, worldwide. Since 1938, inventors have developed and produced numerous commercial variations of the ballpoint pen (ink formula and color, tip construction, barrel shape).
The Turn-of-the-Century Bohemian Art Nouveau inkwell, shown above, was made by Wilhelm Kralik Sohne in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now the Czech Republic). Lashes of webbing are randomly arranged over the iridescent glass. Three buttresses culminate in a botanically-inspired, cast-brass lid. Click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome inkwell.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.