[Posted in part on L&P on May 10, 2013.]
The first fountain pens from the 1650s to the early 1800s were all of the Bion type. But if we’re talking about the US in the same time frame, all of the fountain pens in the American colonies were imported from the mother country, Britain. Between the years 1742 and 1774, there were around 326 uses of the words “fountain pen” and “fountain pens” in The Pennsylvania Gazette, mostly in ads from stationers who were selling the pens, so it was already a common writing instrument during that time. It just wasn’t that popular and dependable, yet. The only thing that put a stop to the flow of merchandise from the old country was the beginning of the Revolutionary War. After Britain won the French and Indian War in North America, it was heavily in debt, and passed the Stamp Act in 1765. The imposition of such taxes on the colonies met with strong condemnation, and organized boycotts of British goods were initiated. The ad in The Gazette on June 3, 1762, reads in part, “Imported in the last Vessels from London, and sold by David Hall, At the New Printing Office in Market Street, Philadelphia, A Large and well chosen Assortment of Paper Hangings, Writing Paper of all Sorts, by the Ream, or lesser Quantity; embossed and marbled Paper; English Pasteboard, Parchment, Quills, Pens, Sealing Wax and Wafers; neat Cases of Pocket Instruments; Scales and Dividers; Slates and Slate Pencils; Penknives;…Black Lead Pencils, Fountain Pens, &c”. I think it meant to say “the latest vessels from London”, but that slip of the pen gave away the underlying wish that colonization would soon come to an end.
Here are a few of the websites with which to search the issues of The Gazette.
https://www.newspapers.com/title_918/the_pennsylvania_gazette/
http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/newspapers/explore/USA/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia/Pennsylvania_Gazette/
http://www.accessible-archives.com/collections/the-pennsylvania-gazette/
And here are all the mentions of fountain pens, 326 of them, that I could find in Newspapers.com.
Interestingly, at the same time there were 457 mentions of pen-knives and 346 mentions of quills.
May 20, 1742, p. 3
May 27, 1742, p. 4
June 3, 1742, p. 4
June 10, 1742, p. 4
June 17, 1742, p. 4
June 24, 1742, p. 4
July 1, 1742, p. 4
Mar 29, 1748, p. 3
Apr 5, 1748, p. 6, 2 ads
Apr 16, 1748, p. 3, 2 ads
Apr 21, 1748, p. 6
June 22, 1749, p. 3
July 6, 1749, p. 4, 2 ads
July 13, 1749, p. 4
Nov 2, 1749, p. 2
Nov 23, 1749, p. 3
Dec 19, 1749, p. 2
Feb 6, 1750, p. 3
Feb 20, 1750, p. 2
Feb 27, 1750, p. 3
Mar 13, 1750, p. 3
Mar 20, 1750, p. 2
Mar 27, 1750, p. 5
Apr 5, 1750, p. 3
Apr 19, 1750, p. 3
May 3, 1750, p. 5
May 10, 1750, p. 6
May 24, 1750, p. 3
May 31, 1750, p. 4
June 21, 1750, p. 4
June 28, 1750, p. 5
July 5, 1750, p. 4
July 12, 1750, p. 3, 2 ads
July 26, 1750, p. 3
Aug 30, 1750, p. 3
Sept 27, 1750, p. 3
Oct 18, 1750, p. 4
Nov 15, 1750, p. 4
Nov 29, 1750, p. 4
Dec 11, 1750, p. 4
Dec 25, 1750, p. 4
May 30, 1751, p. 2
June 13, 1751, p. 2
June 20, 1751, p. 3, 2 ads
Dec 10, 1751, p. 2, 2 ads
Dec 17, 1751, p. 2
Jan 7, 1752, p. 4
Jan 14, 1752, p. 2
Jan 21, 1752, p. 3
Jan 28, 1752, p. 3
Feb 4, 1752, p. 3
Feb 25, 1752, p. 3
Mar 10, 1752, p. 4
Apr 9, 1752, p. 5
Apr 30, 1752, p. 4
May 7, 1752, p. 6
May 14, 1752, pp. 5, 10
May 21, 1752 ?
May 28, 1752, p. 5
June 4, 1752, p. 4
June 11, 1752, p. 5
June 18, 1752, p. 3
July 2, 1752, p. 4
July 16, 1752, p. 4
July 30, 1752, p. 4
Aug 13, 1752, p. 3
Sept 14, 1752, p. 4
Oct 5, 1752, p. 6
Oct 26, 1752, p. 3
Nov 9, 1752, p. 4
Nov 23, 1752, p. 6
Nov 30, 1752, p. 3
Dec 19, 1752, p. 3
Jan 2, 1753, p. 4
Jan 30, 1753, p. 4
Feb 13, 1753, p. 4
Feb 27, 1753, p. 4
Mar 13, 1753, p. 4
Mar 27, 1753, p. 4
May 3, 1753, p. 4
May 10, 1753, p. 3
May 24, 1753, pp. 3, 6
June 7, 1753, p. 3
June 14, 1753, p. 4
June 21, 1753, p. 4
July 19, 1753, p. 4, 2 ads
Aug 2, 1753, p. 4
Aug 9, 1753, p. 4
Aug 23, 1753, p. 5, 2 ads
Sept 6, 1753, pp. 3, 4
Sept 20, 1753, p. 6, 2 ads
Sept 27, 1753, p. 4
Oct 4, 1753, pp. 3, 6 (2 ads)
Oct 11, 1753, p. 5
Oct 18, 1753, p. 4, 2 ads
Oct 25, 1753, p. 5
Nov 1, 1753, p. 5
Nov 8, 1753, pp. 3, 6
Nov 22, 1753, p. 4
Nov 29, 1753, pp. 4, 6
Dec 6, 1753, p. 2
Dec 13, 1753, pp. 3 (2 ads), 4
Dec 20, 1753, p. 3
Jan 1, 1754, pp. 2, 3
Jan 8, 1754, p. 3, 2 ads
Jan 15, 1754, p. 3, 2 ads
Jan 22, 1754, p. 3
Jan 29, 1754, p. 4
Feb 12, 1754, p. 4
Feb 26, 1754, p. 3
Mar 12, 1754, p. 4
Mar 26, 1754, p. 5
Apr 11, 1754, pp. 3, 4
Apr 18, 1754, p. 5
Apr 25, 1754, p. 6
May 9, 1754, p. 4
May 16, 1754, pp. 3, 5
May 23, 1754, p. 5
May 30, 1754, pp. 3, 4
June 6, 1754 ?
June 20, 1754, p. 4, 2 ads
June 27, 1754, p. 6, 2 ads
July 4, 1754, p. 3
July 11, 1754, pp. 3, 6
July 18, 1754, pp. 4, 6
July 25, 1754, pp. 4, 6
Aug 1, 1754, pp. 4, 5
Aug 15, 1754, p. 4
Aug 22, 1754, pp. 5, 6
Aug 29, 1754, p. 3, 2 ads
Sept 5, 1754, p. 6
Sept 19, 1754, p. 4
Sept 26, 1754, p. 6, 2 ads
Oct 10, 1754, p. 3
Oct 17, 1754, p. 6
Oct 31, 1754, p. 4
Nov 28, 1754, p. 4
Dec 5, 1754, p. 6
Jan 7, 1755, p. 4
Jan 28, 1755, p. 3
Feb 11, 1755, p. 3, 2 ads
Feb 18, 1755, pp. 2, 5
Feb 25, 1755, p. 4
Mar 4, 1755, p. 3
Mar 25, 1755, pp. 4, 6
Apr 10, 1755, p. 4
Apr 17, 1755, p. 5
May 1, 1755, p. 2
May 8, 1755, pp. 3, 5
May 15, 1755, pp. 3, 6
May 22, 1755, p. 6, 2 ads
May 29, 1755, pp. 4, 5
June 12, 1755, pp. 4, 6
June 20, 1755, p. 5
June 26, 1755, p. 3
July 3, 1755, pp. 3, 4
July 10, 1755, pp. 5, 6
July 17, 1755, p. 4
July 24, 1755, pp. 4, 6
Aug 14, 1755, pp. 3, 4, 5
Aug 21, 1755, p. 5, 2 ads
Aug 28, 1755, p. 4
Sept 4, 1755, p. 5, 2 ads
Sept 18, 1755, pp. 3, 6
Sept 25, 1755, pp. 4, 5
Oct 9, 1755, p. 6, 2 ads
Oct 16, 1755, p. 4
Oct 23, 1755, pp. 5, 6 (2 ads)
Oct 30, 1755, p. 4
Nov 6, 1755, p. 6, 3 ads
Nov 13, 1755, pp. 3, 4
Nov 20, 1755, p. 3
Dec 4, 1755, p. 3, 2 ads
Dec 11, 1755, p. 4
Jan 15, 1756, p. 6
Jan 29, 1756, p. 4
Feb 19, 1756, pp. 4, 6 (2 ads)
Feb 26, 1756, p. 5
Mar 11, 1756, pp. 3 (2 ads), 4
Mar 25, 1756, pp. 3, 4
Apr 8, 1756, p. 4, 2 ads
Apr 22, 1756, p. 4
May 6, 1756, p. 3
May 20, 1756, pp. 3, 4
May 27, 1756, ?
June 10, 1756, pp. 4, 5
June 17, 1756, p. 4
June 24, 1756, p. 4
July 8, 1756, p. 4
Aug 5, 1756, p. 4
Sept 9, 1756, p. 4
Sept 23, 1756, p. 4
Oct 21, 1756, p. 4, 2 ads
Oct 28, 1756, p. 4
Nov 4, 1756, p. 4
Nov 18, 1756, p. 4
Dec 2, 1756, p. 4
Dec 23, 1756, p. 4
Jan 6, 1757, p. 4, 2 ads
Jan 13, 1757, p. 4
Jan 27, 1757, pp. 3, 4 (2 ads)
Feb 10, 1757, p. 3
Mar 3, 1757, p. 4
Apr 7, 1757, p. 3
Apr 14, 1757, p. 4
Apr 28, 1757, p. 3
May 12, 1757, p. 4
May 19, 1757, p. 4
May 26, 1757, p. 3
July 28, 1757, p. 3
Oct 6, 1757, p. 4
Dec 15, 1757, p. 2
Dec 29, 1757, p. 4
Jan 12, 1758, ?
Mar 2, 1758, p. 4
Mar 30, 1758, ?
Apr 20, 1758, p. 6
May 18, 1758, p. 5
Dec 14, 1758, p. 4
Jan 11, 1759, pp. 2, 4
Jan 18, 1759, ?
Feb 15, 1759, p. 4
Feb 22, 1759, pp. 5, 6, 7
Apr 5, 1759, p. 6
Apr 12, 1759, p. 5
Apr 19, 1759, p. 3
Apr 26, 1759, p. 3
June 21, 1759, p. 4
July 5, 1759, p. 5
July 26, 1759, p. 6
Jan 3, 1760, p. 3
Oct 30, 1760, p. 1
Mar 12, 1761, p. 4
Apr 23, 1761, p. 6
May 14, 1761, p. 6
May 28, 1761, p. 3
June 11, 1761, p. 6
July 30, 1761, p. 4
Sept 10, 1761, pp. 1, 6
Oct 29, 1761, p. 4
Nov 12, 1761, p. 3
Dec 17, 1761, p. 6
Mar 4, 1762, p. 3
Apr 22, 1762, p. 3
May 13, 1762, p. 3
June 3, 1762, p. 3
Nov 11, 1762, p. 3
Mar 31, 1763, p. 3
July 26, 1764, p. 4
Sept 13, 1764, p. 1
Dec 8, 1768, p. 3
June 28, 1770, p. 3
Dec 28, 1774, p. 6
George Kovalenko.
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