Pencil Pointer

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

“The Perfect Pencil Pointer,” patented on April 29, 1890, was probably designed for schoolrooms or offices. It resembles very little the pencil sharpeners in the schoolrooms, offices, and libraries that we are familiar with today. We know pencils were common in the 19th century because it has been recorded that Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) made his living selling pencils in Concord, Massachusetts, for a time. The instructions on the underside of the invention are very precise and include the caution, “Don’t bear on hard. Please remember this. Take hold of the carriage so as to let the pencil project between first and middle finger as shown…”

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Details

Item typeTools & Equipment
Writing
CreatorThe Perfect Pencil Pointer Company
Dateafter 1890
EraRise of Industrial America, 1878–1899
Progressive Era, World War I, 1900–1928
MaterialWood; Metal
Dimension detailsHeight: 2.75 in Width: 2.37 in Length: 10.25 in
Catalog #1978.42
View this item in our curatorial database →
The Perfect Pencil Pointer Company. Pencil Pointer. after 1890. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1978-42/. Accessed on December 7, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.