Traces of the Revolution
Traces of 19th century or older Quill, Silver or Gold pen manufacturing and sales is scant in the 21st century. Moreover, most writing items available for sale are from the last quarter of the 19th century or later.
According to Michael Finlay in his 1990 book Western Writing Implements in the Age of the Quill Pen “The intensity of competition for business in the supply of pens during the 1820s is well-illustrated by the records of the Bank of England … In 1820, for example, more than a million and a quarter quill pens were purchased for a staff of one thousand…”.
Despite the massive consumer hunger for writing equipment in the 1820's, few examples survived. Vintage feather Quill pens are extremely rare today.
The Gold Pen nib revolution launched in the second quarter of the 19th century resulted in far longer lasting pen purchases, however; most Gold Pen nibs were also "used up" and perhaps recycled for the gold content.
Acquiring a collection of the traces of American Gold Pen nib makers is a daunting venture, and for many collectors it becomes a long-term pursuit. The process of confirming attribution of the makers and reconstructing the history of design and manufacture of such equipment is primarily dependent on financial and newspaper accounts.
In some instances, patent award dates and the patent language, including claim language and declarations of "prior art" (meaning previously created or invented portions discussed within a patent's language) can provide clarity regarding who really invented and created items.
In many instances, collectors simply view the drawing(s) accompanying the patent and rationalize that the patent award relates to the entirety of drawings. Without interpreting the claim and prior art attribution language, it becomes easy to wrongly conclude who an inventor was.
The story of the Gold Pen nib revolution in America has just begun to be re-discovered and likely holds a more discoveries. The content within this website will be updated to reflect new discoveries as we all learn more about this technology paradigm shift.
The Texas Gold Pen
Texas Gold Pen nib
Exhibited is an Albert G. Bagley “To The Trade” Produced Gold Pen nib for Bell & Brothers of San Antonio, Texas, marked
Bell & Bro.
San
Antonio
Texas
2
This item is mounted on a Bagley Silver Extension Pen Holder marked B, a June 6, 1846 Bagley Patent item.
Texas became a State of the the United States on December 29, 1845, this Gold Pen nib is circa 1846-1851.
Club des Collectionneurs d'Objets d'Écriture
Plume Notre-Dame De Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris Celebratory Nib
Almost 3 Inches in Length, the Plume Notre-Dame de Paris commemorates the fire and meticulous restoration undertaken to return La Grand Dame back from near destruction.
OUR LADY
I greet you Marie, Pearl of the City, Notre-Dame in Paris.
You gave me great pity!
Furious flames
You had beheaded.
Our drama in Paris
Was a reality.
As the pen writes, Your well-inked arrow In the sky of Paris Drew the sacred.
This arrow has perished
And if I dare the line, At the foot of your forecourt, Lacked sacred fire.
Bruised cathedral
With erased contours,
You soon resumed
Your colors of the past.
I salute you Mary, Pearl of the City, Notre-Dame in Paris, Finally resurrected!
Philippe Davis
de l'Académie Alphonse
Allais
The History of the Cathedral
A Souvenir of the Oak Forest Harvest Old-Growth shaving of the frame of Notre-Dame de Paris.
Shaving from the cut to the doloir of the oak farms on the roof of Notre-Dame de Paris, offered graciously by the carpenters restorers of the workshops "Desmonts“.
History
In the 4th century, with the advent of Clovis, Paris became the Christian capital of the kingdom of the Franks. It was then that a first Saint-Etienne cathedral was built in the 6th century. The rise of the city began in the 12th century after the Norman invasions. The prosperous city, it is a place of artistic and intellectual exchanges, with colleges and a university of philosophy and theology. This is how the story of Notre Dame begins.
At the same time, the crusades to Jerusalem and the pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela move thousands of faithful on the paths.
The island of the city is an essential step to cross the Seine. The faithful flock to the neighborhood and generate commercial activity and offerings for worship.
In this context, Maurice de Sully, Bishop of Paris, undertakes the construction of a new cathedral to welcome the faithful.
In the 13th century, Saint Louis brought back from Jerusalem the relics of Christ's passion, which he deposited in the cathedral in 1239. It thus becomes a high place of worship and a model of religious architecture.
During the Renaissance, its appeal was neglected. In the 17th century, Louis XIII placed the kingdom under the protection of Notre-Dame de Paris.
Abused by bad weather and the Revolution, the cathedral threatened to collapse in the 19th century. Its restoration, by E. Viollet the Duke in 1844 who added an arrow will last twenty years. Victor Hugo's historical novel "Notre-Dame de Paris" will restore his popularity
In the 21st century on April 15 & 16, 2019 a fire destroyed the spire and frame leading to a large-scale restoration that will last five years under the presidency of Emmanuel Macron and the direction of General Jean-Louis Georgelin +, then Philippe Jost. This project will mobilize more than a thousand workers and will be considered the largest restoration of the time.
The Restoration
Lace Pen Nib "Notre-Dame de Paris"
"Lace" feather designed in the tradition of prestigious feathers with the photography and chemical cutting techniques of the 19th century revisited in the light of progress in the field.
It commemorates the inauguration of the end of the restoration work of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on December 7, 2024 by the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron.
This restoration will have required more than five years of work and mobilized more than 1,000 workers.
Photo: Carpenters setting up a farm from the nave
Designers: Jean-Pierre Bellot and Michel Becke
Prelude to the American Gold Pen Revolution
What was the Prelude Spark?
The quill began to be used as a pen as early as 547, according to the research of Michael Finlay, author of “Western Writing Implements in the Age of the Quill Pen” published in 1990. Mr. Finlay’s writings thoroughly document the progression of the technology from the British perspective.
In 1640 Scottish Covenanter forces invaded England as part of the Second Bishops’ War and were victorious at the Battle of Newburn, leading to a truce and the 1641 Treaty of London. War has historically driven a demand for mobility of supplies, munitions, and communications equipment including messaging tools. Early Scottish goldsmiths stepped up to deliver travel communications needs.
By the late 18th century English rule had consolidated England, Scotland and Ireland and the early influencers of the Writing Instrument Revolution began to emerge.
In this delightful original 1822 George IV Patent Award image, you can see the names John Isaac Hawkins (at the top) and Sampson Mordan. This patent marks the first-ever British endeavor to create propelling pencils. It's worth noting that Sampson Mordan, who had the privilege of being Joseph Bramah's esteemed apprentice, and John Isaac Hawkins, the brilliant mind behind the invention of the iridium pointed gold pen in 1833, joined forces for this exciting new venture.
See the original patent award document signed on November 21,1822 by George IV at the link below along with an analysis of the content of the patent grant and the patent specifications with accompanying drawings.
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First Glint of Revolution in America
Pencil Maker Thomas Addison
Thomas Addison silver pencil manufacturing began in at least early 1825, and may have begun much earlier. The first major newspaper ad campaign originated in the Charleston Mercury on August 13th and was ongoing during September and October 1825. Many quite early writing instruments were under development and production to satisfy growing demand.
Thomas Addison & Co. Growth
By November 1825, demand from the ad campaign resulted in Thomas Addison & Co. advertising “Apprentices Wanted” in the New York Evening Post, helping to build momentum for the writing revolution. .
French Connection
Science & French Ingenuity
Jean Benoit Mallat worked in the wake of a rich and ongoing French heritage of scientific & mathematical instrument development by instrument makers of the period, including Bion, Maulevaut, Lordelle, Langlois, Le Maire, Butterfield, Canivet, Lennel and Baradelle operated studios near the Quai de l'Horlage du Palais on the Île de la Cité.
In Sotheby's book Drawing Instruments by Maya Hambly, the author mentions Early French Scientific Instrument Makers Christoff Schissler (1530-1609), Jacobus & Domenicus Lusuerg (1680-1710), Nicolas Bion (1652-1723), Micheal Butterfield (1635-1724), and Chapotot the Elder (1670-1686). Hambly also depicts images from German Joseph Furttenbach’s Mechanischer Reissladen (Augsburg, 1644).
French collaborations with America bolstered the American Writing Revolution. Depicted is a Mallat Ruby-Tipped Gold Pen nib. Rare pens resulting from sparse production.
Thomas Jefferson Fountain Pen
Early Fountain Pen Adoption in America
Explore the research regarding forwarding-thinking Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States of America.
Silversmith William Cowan
Learn more about the Jefferson fountain pen source, Willian Cowan of Richmond, Virginia.
See his autobiography in his own words.
Bion Function
Bion Function
Thomas Jefferson had an affinity for the French Connection.
Follow the unfolding analysis and conclusions regarding the Jefferson fountain pen.
American Gold Pen Makers
American Pen Ingenuity
Based upon information available from New York City based publisher The Scientific American, Washington, D.C. based Weekly National Intelligencer, and other research, Albert G. Bagley was one of the workers trained at Simeon Hyde's gold pen factory alongside Levi Brown, initially trained by Aaron Cleveland in 1836.
In 1838, Mr. Bagley had left the Hyde/Brown factory, continuing his developmental experimentation while engaging in the manufacture of Gold Pen nibs.
Thorough research and documentation are needed to understand the beginnings of the American Writing Revolution. This includes studying the key players, timeline of events, and various trade partnerships, copartnerships, and marketing promotions that led to a shift from quill pens to Gold Pen nibs.
Levi Brown, Albert G. Bagley, and Josiah Hayden were significant early innovators in the United States, with Levi Brown recognized as being the first trained in Hawkins' iridium tipping method by Cleveland and credited with initiating the revolution in America.
Albert G. Bagley's Gold Pen business dominated the market for decades and he made a fortune by creating unique patented products and selling them to the public as well as wholesaling to his peers.
Josiah Hayden also played a role in the Gold Pen nib business, selling his business to Rollin L. Dawson's enterprise to pursue his fortune in other business. He partnered with Mr.Dawson who then founded Dawson, Warren, and Hyde which became a significant early Gold Pen nib producer early in the revolution.
The Bard brothers were another early Gold Pen maker. Research is underway to sort fact from self-promotion.
John Mabie started as a pencil case maker, becoming a Gold Pen nib maker as Mabie, Todd & Co. in the 1860s and experiencing significant growth with the arrival of the fountain pen revolution in the 1880s.
Leroy Fairchild leveraged an early partnership with John Rendell, which gained momentum in the 1880s when he embraced to-the-trade concepts started by Bagley in the 1840s.
This website serves as a fact-finding project as it shares the John B. Minor Collection of Early Writing Instruments.
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The Early History of Writing instruments
Louis Honore Boquet ‘Pression’ Mechanical Air-Compressed Inkwell
Exotic Islam
French 18th Century Traveling Set
Scottish Thistle
Rembrandt Turf
17th, 18th, & 19th Century writing revolution resulted in early writing instruments including rare pens
Patent Model Pen
Richardson 1854 Patent Model
Early American patent models are rare, and even rarer are writing instrument patent models. William S. Hicks challenged the Richardson 1854 patent with his owned claimed prior art. Learn more at the link below
19th Century Intellectual Property Litigation
Significant IP Case Litigation
Depicted is a Charles B. Peddie Gold Pen nib. Mr. Peddie was a journeyman apprentice under Albert G. Bagley. Peddie, among others, became part of history when he violated his agreement with Mr Bagley.
Trade Secret theft and patent infringement became active in the 2nd quarter of the 19th Century, and A.G. Bagley made history attempting to protect his Intellectual Property (IP).
Other John B. Minor Collections
Arbeotique Gallery
Enjoy Diverse Collections - Informative & Beautifully Curated