|
|
Although the majority of writing takes place at a desk, there are times when one needs to write away from it. Take for example, adding items to a shopping-list in a supermarket or a star footballer signing his autograph on the pitch. Although neither existed in the eighteenth century, there were many occasions on which the equivalent of a ballpoint or fountain pen would have been necessary. Also, many people still could not write and depended on scribes for letters etc. These scribes, together with those of the population that could write, needed a method of carrying the necessary equipment around without spilling the ink. This is where the penner came in. It consisted of three parts: A onto which the pen knife D fitted. B which held the pen knife, the brass pen E, the quill sharpener F and a quill that is not present. C, the inkwell that, when the parts were screwed together, prevented the ink from spilling. Penners were made from metal, ivory and leather-covered wood or metal. This particular penner was made by Mycock, John and Joseph of Sheffield and appeared in their 1787 catalogue.
The length when all the parts are fitted together is 135mm. |
|
back
