Pencils

Pencils also have changed over time. This page shows one example of slate pencils as well as boxes of the more familiar wood-encased pencils. The collections have both an early instance of a mechanical pencil and a 20th-century example, the latter with a famous connection. Draftsmen needed pencil leads to insert into other drawing instruments, and one engineer even donated his metal pencil box.

This 3-3/4" ornate square silver handle has two slides. One extends a round holder in which a pencil lead appears to be inserted.
Description
This 3-3/4" ornate square silver handle has two slides. One extends a round holder in which a pencil lead appears to be inserted. (Similar instruments sometimes had pricking points for use in creating and duplicating engineering drawings.) The other slide extends a pen point.
The top of the handle unscrews so that the user can adjust a ring collar marked with the first letters of the days of the week (in French): L, M, M, J, V, S, D. The ring sits atop 7 columns of 4–5 numbers (1, 8, 15, 22, 29; 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; and so on). By adjusting the ring, one can use these numbers as the calendar for any month. The dates of objects purchased with this writing instrument and the increasing availability of metal nibs suggest it was made in the late 18th century.
References: Howard Dawes, Instruments of the Imagination: A History of Drawing Instruments in Britain, 1600–1850 (n.p.: The Dawes Trust Ltd., 2009), 5.
Sotheby & Company, Catalogue of a Collection of Scientific Instruments, the Property of the Late Henry Russel Wray, London, 1959 (a copy of the catalogue is in the accession file).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
late 18th century
ID Number
MA.316934
accession number
228694
catalog number
316934
These five slate pencils are wrapped in paper decorated like the American flag and stored in a cardboard box with an American flag design.
Description
These five slate pencils are wrapped in paper decorated like the American flag and stored in a cardboard box with an American flag design. In the 19th century, schoolchildren used pencils made from a soft stone or slate to write letters and numbers on their slates, personal-sized blackboards. Students wiped away their work after it was checked by the teacher; reusable slates were thus less expensive than large quantities of paper, and slate pencils were generally more available than chalk. In the United States, slate pencils were manufactured at least as early as 1844 and at least as late as the 1910s.
Edith R. Meggers of Washington, D.C., bequeathed this box of pencils to the Smithsonian in 1974. The dates of other objects in her bequest suggest these pencils were made around 1900. Meggers worked in the Building Technology Division of the National Bureau of Standards in the 1950s and 1960s. She and her husband endowed the William F. and Edith R. Meggers Project Award of the American Institute of Physics, which funds projects for the improvement of high-school physics teaching in the United States.
References: Early Office Museum, "History of the Lead Pencil," http://www.officemuseum.com/pencil_history.htm; Peter Davies, "Writing Slates and Schooling," Australasian Historical Archaeology 23 (2005): 63–69; Charlotte E. Moore, "Meggers, William Frederick," Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography (2008), http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2830902894.html; Edith R. Meggers, Selected Bibliography on Building Construction and Maintenance, 3rd ed., National Bureau of Standards Building Materials and Structures Report 140 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1959).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1900
ID Number
MA.335277
accession number
314637
catalog number
335277
This set of six short wood and graphite pencils is in a square white cardboard box with a gold-colored metal pencil holder. The holder is marked: VENUS PENCILS. Five of the pencils are marked: VENUS AMERICAN (/) PENCIL CO. N.Y.
Description
This set of six short wood and graphite pencils is in a square white cardboard box with a gold-colored metal pencil holder. The holder is marked: VENUS PENCILS. Five of the pencils are marked: VENUS AMERICAN (/) PENCIL CO. N.Y. They are also marked with the hardness of their leads: H, 3H, 4H, 5H, 8H. These correspond to a chart of lead hardnesses that is both on the top of the box and inside the box lid. The chart is also marked: "VENUS" PERFECT PENCILS: (/) Made in 17 Black and 2 Copying Degrees: (/) each degree guaranteed never to vary. (/) AMERICAN LEAD PENCIL CO. (/) London. New York.
The sixth pencil appears to be a later replacement. It is marked: VENUS COPYING AMERICAN (/) PENCIL CO. N.Y. 165. Empty space in the box suggests it originally held eight pencils, from H to 8H. The American Lead Pencil Company began operating in New York City around 1861. In 1956 it changed its name to Venus Pen and Pencil to reflect this popular brand of its products, which it started manufacturing in 1905. Faber-Castell USA purchased the firm in 1973.
The owner of these pencils, Mendel Lazear Peterson (1918–2003), earned degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi and Vanderbilt University. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1943 and served in the Pacific theater, where he developed an interest in underwater archaeology. He remained in the service after World War II. From 1958 to 1973, he was a Smithsonian curator in historic archaeology and armed forces history. He likely acquired the pencils during his military career.
References: Bob Truby, "American Lead Pencil Co.," http://www.brandnamepencils.com/brands/american/; Bart Barnes, "Smithsonian's Mendel Peterson Dies," Washington Post, August 28, 2003.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-1939
maker
American Lead Pencil Company
ID Number
MA.330191
accession number
288888
catalog number
330191
This 5-3/4" black plastic and chrome-plated mechanical pencil is marked near its top: CHICAGO Autopoint USA (/) PATD AND PATS PEND. The word "Autopoint" is in script. The end of the pencil above the mark uncaps to reveal an eraser.
Description
This 5-3/4" black plastic and chrome-plated mechanical pencil is marked near its top: CHICAGO Autopoint USA (/) PATD AND PATS PEND. The word "Autopoint" is in script. The end of the pencil above the mark uncaps to reveal an eraser. A metal clip allows the pencil to be secured in a shirt pocket. The pen is stored in a rectangular gray cardboard box marked: Pencil Used by H H sr. (c[h]rome plated).
Autopoint began manufacturing mechanical pencils in Chicago in 1918. Inventors assigned at least 30 patents to Autopoint between 1918 and 1929. One of the patents referred to on this pencil was taken out by Frank Deli of Chicago, for a metal pin that screwed into a threaded cylinder inside the pencil tip and thus acted to propel the lead. The diameter of the pin suggests the lead width was about 1 mm. The body of the pencil was to be made from bakelite or a similar plastic. Deli applied for his patent in 1921, although it was not granted until 1925. Bakelite, the plastics manufacturer, owned an interest in Autopoint from the 1920s to the 1940s. After several corporate acquisitions and reorganizations, Autopoint moved to Janesville, Wisc., in 1979, where it continues operations.
His daughter-in-law reported that Herman Hollerith Sr. owned this pencil. Hollerith (1860–1929) trained as a mining engineer. He joined the U.S. Census Office in 1879, where he pioneered the development of punch cards for tabulating machines. These machines dramatically sped up the processing of data in the 1890 census. In 1896 he founded the Tabulating Machine Company, which merged with three other companies in 1911 and became the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) in 1924. Hollerith retired in 1921 and raised cattle on a farm in Maryland until his death, so he presumably acquired the pencil during his retirement. For depictions and examples of Hollerith machines, see 1977.0503.01, 1977.0503.02, and 2011.3121.01, MA.312896, MA.335634, MA.335635, and MA.333894. See also the NMAH object group on tabulating machines, http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object-groups/tabulating-equipment.
References: Autopoint, Inc., "About Us," http://autopointinc.com/about-us; Frank C. Deli, "Pencil" (U.S. Patent 1,552,123 issued September 1, 1925); Robert L. Bolin, "Web Resources Concerning the Mechanical Pencil Industry in Chicago," http://unllib.unl.edu/Bolin_resources/pencil_page/index.htm; William R. Aul, "Herman Hollerith: Data Processing Pioneer," Think, November 1972, http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/builders/builders_hollerith.html; United States Census Bureau, "Herman Hollerith," http://www.census.gov/history/www/census_then_now/notable_alumni/herman_hollerith.html.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1921-1929
maker
Autopoint, Inc.
ID Number
1977.0503.03
catalog number
336122
accession number
1977.0503
This oblong green, blue, and gold metal pencil box holds no pencils. The top is marked: WALLACE (/) Motif A FINE (/) 5¢ PENCIL (/) WALLACE PENCIL CO. (/) Saint Louis, U.S.A. It is also marked: W (/) THE SEAL (/) OF QUALITY. It is also marked: LARSEN.
Description
This oblong green, blue, and gold metal pencil box holds no pencils. The top is marked: WALLACE (/) Motif A FINE (/) 5¢ PENCIL (/) WALLACE PENCIL CO. (/) Saint Louis, U.S.A. It is also marked: W (/) THE SEAL (/) OF QUALITY. It is also marked: LARSEN. One end of the box is marked: WALLACE Motif. The other end is marked: GRADE — 2 2/4. The bottom of the box is marked: WALLACE Motif (/) IN THE FOLLOWING FIVE DEGREES 1–2–2 2/4–3–4 (/) The Wallace Motif is the finest 5¢ pencil for general use that can be bought. Like all pencils (/) in the famous Wallace line, it is made exclusively in the big modern factory that has become famous (/) for quality manufacture.
The Wallace Pencil Company began manufacturing wooden pencils in St. Louis in 1915. By 1979 it sold 120 million pencils per year. Before the 1950s, the firm packaged some of these pencils, such as its Motif line, in metal tins. Dixon Ticonderoga acquired the firm in the 1980s.
William J. Ellenberger (1908–2008) donated this object, which he presumably acquired secondhand from P. M. Larsen. See also 1981.0933.14. Ellenberger studied electrical and mechanical engineering at The George Washington University between 1925 and 1934. He then worked for the Potomac Electric Power Company and the National Bureau of Standards. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was a civilian construction management engineer for the army from 1954 to 1968, when he became a private consultant.
References: K. J. H. Cochran, "Wallace Native to Missouri: The Romance of a Yellow No. 2 Pencil," Bulletin Journal, Cape Girardeau, Mo., June 12, 1979; "The GW Engineering Hall of Fame 2006 Inductees," http://www.weas.gwu.edu/ifaf/hall_of_fame_inductees_2006.php.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1915-1950
maker
Wallace Pencil Co.
ID Number
1981.0933.28
accession number
1981.0933
catalog number
1981.0933.28
Two of these leads are 5-1/8" in length and are marked: SSWS MADE U.S.A. U.S. PAT. 1,832,654 (/) 3H EAGLE TURQUOISE ® ELECTRONIC 3H. One lead is 4" long and marked: SSWS MADE U.S.A. U.S. PAT.
Description
Two of these leads are 5-1/8" in length and are marked: SSWS MADE U.S.A. U.S. PAT. 1,832,654 (/) 3H EAGLE TURQUOISE ® ELECTRONIC 3H. One lead is 4" long and marked: SSWS MADE U.S.A. U.S. PAT. 1,832,654 (/) 2H EAGLE TURQUOISE ® ELECTRONIC 2H.
Adolf Pischel of New York City and Paul Pischel of London, England, applied in Germany in 1928 and in the United States in 1929 for patents on a process that made a plastic from "earthy matter," graphite, and Turkey red oil, forming the plastic into pencil leads. They assigned their U.S. patent to the Eagle Pencil Company.
German immigrant Heinrich Berolzheimer opened Eagle Pencil Company as a pencil shop in New York City in 1856, with a factory in Yonkers. By 1880, the firm made mechanical pencils as well as pens and erasers. Its Turquoise line of drawing leads was widely sold in the first half of the 20th century. In 1969 the company changed its name to Berol Corporation, and the Empire Pencil Corporation purchased it in 1986.
These objects were received and are stored with a set of drawing instruments, 1985.0909.01. The set was owned by Harald Trap Friis (1893–1976), a Danish emigrant who became a prominent radio engineer for Bell Labs.
Reference: Adolf Pischel and Paul Pischel, "Process for Manufacturing Rods from Plastic Materials" (U.S. Patent 1,832,654 issued November 17, 1931).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1929-1958
maker
Eagle Pencil Company
ID Number
1985.0909.04
accession number
1985.0909
catalog number
1985.0909.04
This set of four short (less than 3-1/2") wood and graphite pencils is in a rectangular white cardboard box. The pencils are marked: VENUS AMERICAN (/) PENCIL CO. N.Y. They are also marked with the hardness of their leads: HB, B, F, 4H.
Description
This set of four short (less than 3-1/2") wood and graphite pencils is in a rectangular white cardboard box. The pencils are marked: VENUS AMERICAN (/) PENCIL CO. N.Y. They are also marked with the hardness of their leads: HB, B, F, 4H. These correspond to a chart of lead hardnesses that is on the top of the box. The chart is marked: "VENUS" PERFECT PENCILS: (/) Made in 17 Black and 2 Copying Degrees: (/) each degree guaranteed never to vary. (/) London. AMERICAN PENCIL CO., New York. Empty space in the box suggests it originally held five pencils.
The box also holds a 1" white rubber eraser marked: VENUS (/) AMERICAN PENCIL CO. (/) NEW YORK (/) No100. Next to the eraser is a 2-1/2" square wooden dowel covered in white paper marked: ←—— This Is The New VENUS ERASER Try It. The inside of the box lid has an advertisement for the eraser, which came in twelve sizes, ranging from four pieces in one box to 100 pieces in one box. The presence of the eraser suggests that this set was made after MA.330191.
The American Lead Pencil Company began operating in New York City around 1861 and started to manufacture the Venus line of drawing pencils in 1905. By 1939 the firm was advertising itself as the American Pencil Co. Various retailers in the United States, including Keuffel & Esser and the Eugene Dietzgen Co., offered the Venus line from the 1930s to the 1960s. In 1956 American Pencil Co. changed its name to Venus Pen and Pencil to reflect its popular brand. Faber-Castell USA purchased the firm in 1973.
The owner of these pencils, Mendel Lazear Peterson (1918–2003), earned degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi and Vanderbilt University. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1943 and served in the Pacific theater, where he developed an interest in underwater archaeology. He remained in the service after World War II. From 1958 to 1973, he was a Smithsonian curator in historic archaeology and armed forces history. He likely acquired the pencils during his military career.
References: D. B. Smith, "Venus Drawing Pencil," http://leadholder.com/wood-venus.html; Bart Barnes, "Smithsonian's Mendel Peterson Dies," Washington Post, August 28, 2003.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1939-1956
maker
American Lead Pencil Company
ID Number
MA.330192
accession number
288888
catalog number
330192
This 1-3/4" cylindrical metal case holds three pencil leads and three needle points for dividers. Leads and needle points were needed for drawing compasses and mechanical pencils used in engineering drawing; one often found a case like this in a set of drafting instruments.
Description
This 1-3/4" cylindrical metal case holds three pencil leads and three needle points for dividers. Leads and needle points were needed for drawing compasses and mechanical pencils used in engineering drawing; one often found a case like this in a set of drafting instruments. William J. Ellenberger (1908–2008) owned these objects. For his biography, see 1981.0933.25.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940
ID Number
1981.0933.26
accession number
1981.0933
catalog number
1981.0933.26
This 5-3/4" white plastic mechanical pencil is black at both ends and has a black eraser. It is marked: H HEARLIHY PUSHER PENCIL 0.5 mm.
Description
This 5-3/4" white plastic mechanical pencil is black at both ends and has a black eraser. It is marked: H HEARLIHY PUSHER PENCIL 0.5 mm. The metal pocket clip is marked: USA.
Hearlihy & Co., a Springfield, Ohio, supplier of drafting instruments and developer of technology education curriculum modules founded by the donor's parents in 1969, distributed this pencil. It was received new. Hearlihy remains in operation as of 2013, but it is a division of Pitsco Education. Both companies have headquarters in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Reference: "About Hearlihy," http://www.hearlihy.com/about/.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1987
ID Number
1987.0589.06
accession number
1987.0589
catalog number
1987.0589.06

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