The fountain pen is one of many writing instruments that have evolved over time. Probably the first writing instruments were shaped sticks used to make marks in clay. Pens and brushes became necessary when writing became a surface application of pigment.
Bamboo tubes or bird quill feathers were the first pens. Both were cylindrical and could be counted on to hold a drop or two of ink if dipped into it when cut on a slant. Throughout much of Western history, quill pens were the preferred writing instrument because they were inexpensive and plentiful. A slit cut into the cylinder’s sharp end would guide the ink to the tip, and thus to the paper, via capillary action.
However, there were some drawbacks to quill pens. With use, the points, or nibs, became mushy and left blots and splatters. The writer had to frequently stop and sharpen the point by removing the mushy part and resplitting the tip. As the shaft was whittled away, a new quill was eventually required. This problem was solved when the dip pen with a metal nib was invented, which combined the advantages of the quill with the added benefit of never needing to be sharpened and lasting indefinitely with proper care.
Fountain pens advanced the dip pen concept. The original fountain pens were filled with a tiny eye dropper and were named after an ink reservoir in the barrel.
Soon after, fountain pens with a small rubber reservoir in the barrel became popular. The bulb inside the barrel could be compressed by pressing a button, lever, or tab on the outside of the barrel. The fountain pen was then dipped in ink, and the bulb was allowed to expand back to its original size, creating a vacuum that sucked the ink into the bulb.
Fountain pens were improved even further in the 1950s with the addition of disposable pre-filled ink cartridges that could be simply inserted into the barrel. By screwing the barrel to the pen’s head, a sharpened tube was inserted into the cartridge, which opened and fed ink from the cartridge to the nib for writing.
The ballpoint pen, which was invented shortly after the invention of fountain pen cartridges, quickly surpassed the fountain pen in popularity. Even the best fountain pens could leak, and ballpoints applied ink evenly without blotting or sudden spurts or splatters.
Fountain pens are now regarded as elegant writing instruments that require a lighter touch than ballpoints or felt-tip pens and produce a smooth track of shiny wet ink. Fountain pens from the early years are highly collectible and a pleasure to write with.