Fountain Pens

fountain pens

Pen case and lid, Italy, 15th century

15th century

Pen case and lid in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number 8386-1863), made in Italy, dated 15th century. The museum's brief description reads: Pen case and lid, Italian, 1400-1500, embossed leather. Museum description: Pen case and lid of moulded leather (cuir bouilli). Of cylindrical form with an ex…

fountain pens

Pen case and lid, Tibet, 19th century

19th century

Pen case and lid in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number IS.36-1965), made in Tibet, dated 19th century. The museum's brief description reads: Pen case and lid, iron, pierced and engraved, Tibet, probably 19th century. Museum description: Pen case, in two parts; of iron, one side engraved with a fol…

fountain pens

Pen case with ink-holder, Tibet, 19th century

19th century

Pen case with ink-holder in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number IM.168&A-1927), made in Tibet, dated 19th century. The museum's brief description reads: Pen case with ink-bottle holder and cover, incised and gilt steel, with leather, silk, silver and turquoise, Tibet, 19th century. Museum descripti…

fountain pens

Pen Case, Eastern Tibet, Derge, 15th–16th century

15th–16th century

Pen case in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession 1992.257.1), catalogued by the museum's Asian Art department. The museum dates it 15th–16th century and records its origin as Eastern Tibet, Derge. The museum records the medium as Iron inlaid with gold and the dimensions as H. 13 3/8 in. (33.8 cm); W.…

fountain pens

Pen case, England, 1830

1830

Pen case in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number W.67-1938), made in England, dated 1830. The museum's brief description reads: Pen case, possibly associated with Charles Dickens, English, 1830. Museum description: Pen case, wooden lobed cylindrical form with sliding lide bearing a silver shield eng…

fountain pens

Pen case, Nepal, before 1898

before 1898

Pen case in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number IS.89-1898), made in Nepal, dated before 1898. The museum's brief description reads: Pen case, with ink pot and chain, brass, cast and chased, Nepal, before 1898. Museum description: Inkstand and penholder, brass cast and chased with Ganesh on one sid…

fountain pens

Pen case, Nepal, before 1898 (IS.90-1898)

before 1898

Pen case in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number IS.90-1898), made in Nepal, dated before 1898. The museum's brief description reads: Pen case, with ink pot and chain, brass, cast and chased, Nepal, before 1898. Museum description: Inkstand and penholder, brass cast and chased, inkstand circular bod…

fountain pens

Pen case, Tibet, 19th century

19th century

Pen case in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number IM.213-1922), made in Tibet, dated 19th century. The museum's brief description reads: Lama's pen-case (qalamdan), incised steel, Tibet, 19th century. Museum description: Lama's pen-case (qalamdan) of incised steel. The case and lid form a cylinder; t…

fountain pens

Pen rack, Ahmedabad, c. 1850

c. 1850

Pen rack in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number 01386(IS) to 01386A/(IS)), made in Ahmedabad, dated c. 1850. The museum's brief description reads: A rack for three pens, with a pointed arch, in grey agate with brown markings and a pen shaft with a feather-shaped terminal, in grey agate, Ahmedabad I…

fountain pens

Pen, London, 1920-1929

1920-1929

Pen in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number B.335-2012), made in London, dated 1920-1929. The museum's brief description reads: Wooden dip pen with metal nib, London, 1920-1929. Museum description: Thin wooden pen holder, with metal grip and nib. The tip of the nib is curved, with an S-shaped vent.…

fountain pens

Pen, Tokyo, Mexico, 2017 (LOAN:AMERICASFOUNDATION.1445-2024)

2017

Pen in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number LOAN:AMERICASFOUNDATION.1445-2024), made in Tokyo, Mexico, dated 2017. The museum's brief description reads: Pen sold at David Bowie Is, Warehouse Terrada G1 Building Tokyo, 2017. Museum description: Click-top biro pen. Has a bright orange body, with a gol…

fountain pens

Prayer book with case (mahdar), Ethiopia, early-mid 19th century

early-mid 19th century

Book with travel case in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession 95.67a, b), catalogued by the museum's The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing department under the title “Prayer book with case (mahdar)”. The museum dates it early-mid 19th century and records its origin as Ethiopia. It is attributed to Wäldä Mar…

fountain pens

Quill pen, England, 1680-1699

1680-1699

Quill pen in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number T.132-1931), made in England, dated 1680-1699. The museum's brief description reads: Quill pen embroidered in coloured silk and metal threads, England, 1680-1699. Museum description: Quill pen embroidered in coloured silk and metal threads. Wound wit…

fountain pens

Richard Nixon "Bill Signer" Parker pen with legislative document in shadowbox

May 11, 1973

This collectible shadowbox display features a "Bill Signer" Parker pen used by President Richard Nixon to sign an Act of the 93rd Congress on May 11, 1973. The Act amended the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. The fountain pen, measuring 5.25 inches in length, features a silver facsimile signature of the President.…

fountain pens

Royal blue extra fountain pen ink with bottle

Royal blue extra fountain pen ink with bottle is held by Museum of Hajdúság. Museum description: Ink for an old-style pump-action fountain pen together with the ink bottle. The bottle is also suitable for the use of a traditional dip pen and features a pen rest groove. The museum record gives measurements 9 x 4.3 x…

fountain pens

Set of four Parker Duofold Centennial orange fountain pens

post-1988

This collection comprises four fountain pens from the Parker Duofold Centennial series. The pens are crafted from orange ebonite with contrasting gold finish accents, including clips and rings. The set features two distinct ink-filling mechanisms: three of the pens utilize a plunger loading system, while the fourth,…

fountain pens

Sheaffer Balance

from 1929

The Sheaffer Balance is a streamlined celluloid fountain pen introduced from 1929 that served as an early example of the tapered profile that became standard for writing instruments. Manufactured by the W. A. Sheaffer Pen Company of Fort Madison, Iowa, the Balance was produced across numerous sizes and colour patter…

fountain pens

Spirit of St. Louis Commemorative Fountain Pen

1927

The Spirit of St. Louis Commemorative Fountain Pen is a writing instrument crafted as a tribute to the historic 1927 transatlantic flight. The pen features a sophisticated construction utilizing a combination of gold-plated metal and black resin. The cap is particularly notable for its openwork detailing, adding a r…

fountain pens

Vintage Parker 51 Teal Fountain Pen and Mechanical Pencil Set

late 1940s–1950s

This collectible writing instrument set features a vintage Parker 51 fountain pen and a matching mechanical pencil, both rendered in a distinctive teal color. The set is presented in its original, fitted Parker presentation box, which is decorated with gold 'PARKER' lettering and a logo. Both writing instruments are…

fountain pens

Vintage Parker Fountain Pen and Matched Pencil Set

Vintage

This vintage writing set from the Parker Pen Company comprises a fountain pen and a matched mechanical pencil, both housed in a green velvet-lined hardshell presentation case. The instruments feature a refined construction incorporating brushed stainless steel elements paired with teal-colored accents. The set is pr…

fountain pens

Visconti Rinascimento "Deco" sterling silver fountain pen

This Visconti Rinascimento "Deco" fountain pen is a luxury writing instrument crafted with a striking combination of black resin and sterling silver. The pen body features an intricate, engraved silver overlay that highlights an Art Deco-inspired aesthetic, characterized by geometric patterns that wrap around the ba…

fountain pens

Waterman 452 Sterling Silver Overlaid Vulcanite Fountain Pen, c. 1925

ca. 1925

This Waterman 452 fountain pen, dating to approximately 1925, is a distinguished example of early 20th-century writing instrument design. The pen features a core crafted from vulcanite, or ebonite (hard rubber), which serves as the substrate for an intricate sterling silver filigree overlay. This overlay is decorate…

fountain pens

Waterman 52

1920s

The Waterman 52 is a vintage fountain pen manufactured by the Waterman Pen Company, which was founded in New York City in 1884 by Lewis Waterman. It is recognised as one of the most common and enduring classic models issued by the American firm during its prolific hard-rubber manufacturing era. Lewis Waterman estab…

fountain pens

Waterman 52 Red Ripple Fountain Pen, OBBB Nib

circa 1920’s

Waterman Ideal 52 Red Ripple fountain pen, circa 1920’s. The Ripple pattern appears to have first launched in the Waterman Pen Prophet magazine in 1926. Waterman was competing with Sheaffer and Parker's celluloid made pens and first introduced the Ripple-Rubber model in an orange/red and black mixed pattern. 52 Re…

fountain pens

White House presentation Parker Jotter pen, ca. 1962

ca. 1962

This Parker Jotter pen is an original White House-associated artifact from circa 1962, presented by President John F. Kennedy to the father of Mary Ann Kingry during an Oval Office ceremony honoring her as the first female recipient of the Young American Medal for Service. The pen features a sleek black barrel and a…

fountain pens

Yard-O-Led Viceroy Barley sterling silver fountain pen

2006

This Yard-O-Led Viceroy Barley fountain pen is a distinguished example of British writing instrument craftsmanship. The pen features a sterling silver case elegantly finished with a characteristic barleycorn guilloche texture, reflecting traditional engine-turning techniques. The pen is equipped with an 18-karat whi…