Writing instruments in the mid 1800's

[phoenixflame7]

Hello!

A slightly oddball question-- what kinds of writing instruments were used in the mid 1800's, in a place like England? That is to say, what kind of pen, what kind of paper? Were wax seals still used?

Pictures and/or descriptions would be most helpful.

Thank you!

Comments

[mallory_blog]

Quills were still used by a lot of people who didn't have much money. Most people used metal tips. Single sheet letter/envelopes were still somewhat common. Wax was sometimes used. Most people folded and inserted the letter part into the envelope part. Privacy was the issue of wax.

[reynardo]

What mallory_blog said, and to add, instead of wax people often used wafers of adhesive-backed paper.

[sollersuk]

Metal nibs were just coming in, but pencils (with graphite) were already around.

Before the introduction of the Penny Post the recipient of the letter paid for it, and they were charged by sheet, so not only was it usual to fold the sheet, often the writing was "crossed" - write in one direction then turn the sheet round and write in another. Very hard to read.

Google for steel nibs and Penny Post.

[orphan_ann]

The Penny Post was introduced about that time ('47, I think) and so were Christmas cards, so you might need to choose an exact year. The few square inches of ivory thing Jane Austen used might still be around, too; she wasn't more than 20-30 years earlier.

[syntinen_laulu]

When Jane Austen wrote about herself working on "a few square inches of ivory" that was a metaphor. She was comparing herself to a miniature painter - miniatures were often painted on ivory, especially ones that were intended to be worn as pendants or brooches. Nobody wrote on ivory.

[orphan_ann]

Well, I know people painted miniatures on ivory and Austen may have been making a metaphor as well, but the thing I'm thinking of was real. There's people taking about it here, and here's a description of a similar device (including a mention of using it.) I can't find any pictures of it, I'm afraid.

[syntinen_laulu]

Cool! I never knew about that device.

But in the quote, Austen is certainly using a metaphor from painting. The remark, which hardly anybody ever quotes in full, is from a letter to her nephew Edward, who also wrote fiction and had just lost several chapter of his latest manuscript. She says how glad she is that she hasn't visited recently in case anybody should suggest her of having stolen them, but says they wouldn't be much use to her anyway: "What should I do with your strong, manly, vigorous sketches, full of variety and glow? How could I possibly join them on to the little bit (two inches wide) of ivory on which I work with so fine a brush, as produces little effect after much labour?"

This has to be about painting; nobody in Regency England wrote with a brush!

[reapermum]

Metal pen nibs were in mass manufacture from about the 1830's.

The penny post was started in 1840 by Rowland Hill.

[phoenixflame7]

Thanks you all! You've helped me out lots.

logophilos -- I had googled for awhile but the main thing I was finding was the sale of Victorian replica pens. But I did not fully trust them to be really Victorian.

[kutsuwamushi]

logophilos is right -- it's a rule that you need to tell us at least some of the search terms you've tried. It helps us to help you. (As well as encouraging people to actually search, rather than just lying.)

Please include them in your next post.

[phoenixflame7]

I'm sorry!

I promise I'll include what I've searched for next time.

I apologize for breaking the rules.