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In the era when
ballpoint pens were unknown and fountain pens were just beginning to make an
appearance in the writing technology scene the steel pen reigned supreme and
the English town of Birmingham was the world capital of the steel pen trade.
Famous pen manufacturers such Joseph Gillott, Hinks and Wells, William
Mitchell, Macniven & Cameron (to name only a few) thrived there and alongside
them George W. Hughes thrived too. He set up business around 1840 and his
knowledge in metallurgy was instrumental in the company’s production of very
high quality pens. Among them the “Million Pen”, a pointed flexible nib,
Palimpsest was lucky to acquire.
George W. Hughes’
factory is derelict
today, a piece of industrial archaeology, a monument to obsolete technologies. The
factory in 3-5 Legge
Lane was built in 1893 in brick and terracotta by Essex, Nicol and Goodman
who were leading terracotta designers. Previously Hughes made his steel pens in
St Paul’s Square and it is from that older site that the Million Pen nib box comes
from. The company closed down in 1960.
Hughes’ Million Pen still circulates
though and its name is as puzzling as the illustrations on the box: £1,000,000 is printed in red in the middle of the cardboard container and is flanked by a
blackbird and white dog licking its paw. On the side of the box there is the
company’s trademark against a red background: a winged dog (or wolf) running
with a fish in its mouth.
Was Hughes hoping
to sell one million pounds worth of steel pens? Was the name an allusion to the
pen’s “priceless” quality? And what’s the meaning of the creatures? Box is
marked Geo. W. Hughes Million Pen Made in England No. 304 F. At the back a word
of “Caution” against imitation pens: “None are genuine but those with his
signature, thus-“
The nib performed
wonderfully straight out of the box. Great flexibility and ink retention, I’ve
tested it with Mont Blanc Mystery Ink, J. Herbin Anniversary Ink, Rohrer and Klingner
Sienna, J. Herbin Lie de The and
Waterman Havana Brown. Now if someone could explain the winged wolf bearing
fish…
Dear Lito,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this very intriguing post! I'd like to think that rather than merely random images, the symbols and slogans used here are a secret code of hieroglyphs, just waiting to be decoded...Curious!
Best regards,
Erika
I saw the Hughes factory photos. As a young man with a photography bug, I likewise searched shut-down factories, abandoned homes, disused farm machinery, etc., for interesting photos. What was the feeling, the vibe? I'm not sure. Maybe it was something like intruding on a post-Apocalyptic world, a view on things breaking down, etc. Think of Max Ernst's "Europe After the Rain" (hope I remembered the title correctly).
ReplyDeleteThere's an American art photographer who's done an extraordinary book of photographs of the horrors of Detroit, including one photograph of trees growing from books in, I believe, an abandoned school building.
Parvum Opus, I sold advertising. A packaging designer will look for visual cues to distinguish his product's package from the other guy's. There's plenty more, of course, such as packaging that appeals to a certain demographic category. Secret hieroglyphs are thinkable but unlikely, because the package face is limited and every square centimeter has to sell. (American packaging is already clotted with federal disclosure requirements, regional distribution codes, factory location codes, visual markings for production line scanning equipment, etc.)
BTW-I tried imagining a "$1,000,000,000/Billion Pen" in today's world. Maybe, with appropriate packaging, a novelty pen could be sold under that name. But, the association of writing literacy with wealth, for example, didn't work for me. Jack/USA
That looks like tiny shorthand at the top and bottom of the box top. I wonder if it explains the animals?
ReplyDeleteAlan, you have a hawk's eyes, too. I'll guess they're something copied from an ancient inscription to add visual interest to the package. Palimpsest says the box predates the 1893 factory. If I wanted to play a hunch, I'd guess the package illustrations are at least somewhat imitative of popularized archaeological finds from the Middle East, Greece, North Africa, etc. Anyone know better? Jack/USA
ReplyDeleteLooking at that 'winged dog and fish', I think the wings are actually the body of a bird slung over the dog's back and the fish is its head in the mouth. "The Fox and Goose" is a common pub name in England, I wonder if the hieroglyphs are nothing more than the factory-workers' locals?
ReplyDeleteAlan, you are right! It is not a winged dog and fish, but more like a Fox and Goose, or even Dog and Duck. But why on a box of nibs?
ReplyDeleteThe fox and goose is Geo. W. Hughes' trade mark; the only logic I can think of to this is that the fox is quick and clever, and he does away with the goose (quill).
ReplyDeleteLike many businesses in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, Hughes possibly advertised his retail outlet s "at the sign of *insert name of neighbouring coaching Inn*. Frequently, these associations made the way into trade marks and insignia that remained long after the business had moved on.
ReplyDeleteJust found this article while researching family history. I am related to George and the Wadsworth side of the family. The W stands for Wadsworth his mothers maiden name. Thank you for helping me to put another piece in the puzzle of my family history
ReplyDeleteI've just found this too, I'm also related to George via his father in law. Joseph Brittle Wadsworth ! It's a small world. I'm obsessed with this generation. Ironmongers, foundries etc.
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