A Brief History of Victorian Era Gold Pens (Gold Nib Dip Pens) — Part II
In my previous article, I discussed how the predecessor of the fountain pen was the gold nib dip pen of the Victorian era. Although gold is highly resistant to corrosion, its high cost and poor durability prevented it from becoming a widely used nib material. The true origin of the gold nib can be traced back to John Isaac Hawkins in England, who invented the process of tipping gold nibs with iridium—an innovation that paved the way for fountain pen nib. Although the iridium-tipping process was invented by Hawkins in England, this craft did not thrive there. Hawkins sold the craft to the Cleveland brothers in the United States, who then passed it to Levi Brown, America’s first gold nib dip pen manufacturer. This explains why gold nib dip pens originated in England but ultimately took root and flourished in the United States. At its peak, Maiden Lane in New York City housed 40 manufacturers of gold nib dip pens and mechanical pencils.
Unlike the many well-known modern fountain pen brands, information about gold dip pen manufacturers—especially in Chinese-language sources—is virtually non-existent online. Therefore, in this article, I want to introduce various gold dip pen manufacturers, particularly focusing on their intricate and interwoven relationships.
Albert G. Bagley New York
In my previous article, I already introduced Levi Brown’s two apprentices, John Rendell and John Foley. Besides these two, Levi Brown had another famous apprentice named Albert G. Bagley. I find Bagley as a manufacturer very interesting. Bagley’s development and network of relationships involved several different manufacturers. Bagley apprenticed under Brown to learn the craft of gold pen making until around 1839. After that, he and Brown became competitors. Bagley opened his own gold pen shop on the same street as Brown and competed with Brown for the title of the best gold pen in America. In the previous article, I mentioned that Rendell had mechanized certain steps in crafting gold sheets for nibs. With Rendell’s technical support, Bagley’s gold pen business rapidly expanded.
However, the good times did not last long. Just a few years later, in 1842, Bagley declared bankruptcy. Because of the bankruptcy, Bagley’s creditors could not pursue him for debts. A few years later, in 1846, Bagley partnered with Gerrit Smith and Edgar M. Smith to establish Albert G. Bagley & Co. But their partnership did not last long, dissolving two years later due to conflicts. Allegedly, Bagley got kicked out of the business by the Smith brothers due to personal scandals. After the split, the gold pen business was taken over by the Smith brothers. As the founder being kicked out of his own company, Bagley was furious and sued the Smith brothers in 1849 for compensation for his business losses.
E. S. Johnson & Co. New York
Bagley’s story isn’t over yet, but this is a good moment to introduce one of my favorite gold pen manufacturers, E. S. Johnson. Because of Bagley’s lawsuit, the Smith brothers moved out of the original gold pen shop location. E. S. Johnson was employed by the Smith brothers around 1848 to produce gold pens for them. Perhaps because the Smith brothers were entangled in lawsuits, Johnson did not want to get involved in the mess and initially produced gold pens in Jersey City, across the river from New York. In the legal battle between Smith and Bagley, Bagley ultimately won in 1853. Bagley reclaimed all gold pen production materials, tools, and the original gold pen shop location, and the Smith brothers paid a large sum to Bagley and exited the gold pen business.
Meanwhile, E. S. Johnson set out on his own in Jersey City, establishing his own gold pen business under his name, later partnering with others to form E. S. Johnson & Co. and eventually moving to New York. Johnson’s partnership lasted until 1873. After parting ways with his partners, Johnson continued his gold pen business until his retirement in 1897, after which his two sons took over.
Here is another interesting connection: one of E. S. Johnson’s sons was also named E. S. Johnson. E. S. Johnson Jr. formed a partnership in 1898 with Harry P. Fairchild, son of the renowned gold pen manufacturer Leroy W. Fairchild, creating a company called Fairchild & Johnson. In 1899, Fairchild & Johnson acquired the leftover from the original Leroy W. Fairchild company and continued the gold pen business. Essentially, this meant that the two gold pen manufacturers, E. S. Johnson and Leroy W. Fairchild, merged. However, E. S. Johnson Jr. was not particularly interested in running a stationery business, he left Fairchild & Johnson in 1905. As a result, Fairchild & Johnson was renamed Fairchild & Co. and continued under the management of Harry P. Fairchild until somewhere between the 1930s and 1940s.
Edward Todd & Co. New York and Mabie, Todd & Co. New York
These two gold pen manufacturers have very similar names, and most people can guess that there must be some connection between them. In the name “Mabie Todd,” “Mabie” refers to John Mabie, while “Todd” refers to Edward Todd. These two individuals were the founders of Mabie Todd.
I’d like to start with Edward Todd. There is very little information about Edward Todd online. Unlike all the other manufacturers mentioned above, he was not originally a pen maker but rather a salesman. Edward Todd initially worked as a traveling salesman for the gold pen manufacturer Bard & Brothers. B&B (Bard & Brothers) had a relatively short lifespan, operating for roughly three years, from 1848 to 1851. Then, in 1851, it was acquired by two of its employees, William H. Smith and Edward Todd. The gold pen manufacturer was then renamed as Smith & Todd, the predecessor of Mabie Todd. Having covered Edward Todd’s background, let’s now discuss John Mabie.
It seems John Mabie came from a poor family; he started working as an apprentice at the age of 12 in the shop of Thomas Addison, one of America’s earliest mechanical pencil makers. After working there for over eight years, Mabie moved to the shop of John H. Rauch in the 1840s. (Incidentally, John H. Rauch was collaborating with Albert G. Bagley at this time to produce mechanical pencils.) Mabie started as a foreman at Rauch’s shop and later became a partner between 1843-1849, running the gold pen and pencil business. Afterward, Mabie partnered with different people to form Mabie, Knapp & Johnson (note: this Johnson is likely not E. S. Johnson, though I couldn’t find more information) and Mabie & McGovern. In 1856, Mabie’s gold pen store merged with Smith & Todd to form Mabie & Smith, which was renamed Mabie, Todd & Co. in 1860. This partnership lasted until 1868.
In 1868, Edward Todd’s brother Henry H. Todd and Johnathan S. Bard from Bard & Brothers joined Mabie Todd. In the same year, Edward Todd left Mabie Todd to pursue other businesses, but Henry Todd’s involvement kept the Mabie Todd name. In 1873, the company was renamed Mabie, Todd & Bard. Not long after, John Mabie retired and handed the gold pen business over to his two sons. Around 1907, the company reverted to its original name, Mabie Todd. During this period, whether gold dip pens or fountain pens, Mabie Todd’s products were all made in New York, and American production continued until the late 1930s. Although Mabie Todd had established an office in London as early as 1884, it did not begin manufacturing pens in England until 1909. Prior to 1909, pens were exported from the U.S. to England. Mabie Todd achieved great success in England and consequently shifted its business focus from New York to London. As one of the longest-lasting manufacturers of fine writing instruments (both gold nib dip pens and fountain pens), Mabie Todd operated from 1843 all the way through the late 1950s.
Edward Todd & Co. New York (Continued)
Having covered the entire Mabie Todd timeline, let’s return to Edward Todd. After leaving Mabie Todd in 1868 to engage in other businesses, Edward Todd did not completely separate himself from the gold pen industry. He ended up connecting with a famous gold pen manufacturer I mentioned before—Albert G. Bagley. (Bagley: Surprise! Here I am again! 😺)
As mentioned earlier, Bagley won the lawsuit against the Smith brothers in 1853, reclaiming his gold pen business. A few years later, in 1856, he retired. Unlike many pen manufacturers, Bagley did not pass his business to his descendants but left it to his partners H. H. Houghton and Charles F. Newton. From 1856 to 1870, the gold pen business Bagley left behind changed hands multiple times before finally landing with Edward Todd in 1870. Edward Todd and his sons then operated the gold nib dip pen and fountain pen business at Bagley’s original pen shop location until 1932.
A. Morton & Co. New York
Alexander Morton, another high-quality gold nib dip pen manufacturer, was a gold pen maker through and through. Morton was an apprentice of Bagley (Bagley: That’s right! I’m back again!). He started his gold pen business around 1851. Like John Rendell, Morton enjoyed refining pen-making techniques. Between 1851 and 1860, Morton invented automatic processes for pointing, tempering, and grinding nibs, which greatly improved nib quality control. A. Morton’s gold pen business continued from 1851 all the way to around 1920.
Besides his connection to Bagley, A. Morton also had ties to a German pen manufacturer. Guess who? It is Kaweco. Of course, I am referring to the original Kaweco founded in 1883, not the modern Kaweco. Kaweco began importing A. Morton nibs to Germany around 1899. Kaweco liked Morton nibs so much that it bought A. Morton’s factory, trademark, and pen-making rights in 1913. At that point, A. Morton effectively changed ownership and was run by Kaweco. After acquiring A. Morton, members of the Morton family went to Germany to teach Kaweco how to make gold nibs. Around 1915, Kaweco began manufacturing its own gold nibs. In a sense, A. Morton continued under Kaweco’s name until 1981, when Kaweco declared bankruptcy.
Aikin Lambert & Co. New York
The last gold pen manufacturer I’d like to mention is Aikin Lambert. Known as a nib supplier for L. E. Waterman, Aikin Lambert became a Waterman subsidiary around 1906-1911. Before being overshadowed by Waterman’s fame, Aikin Lambert had its own period of glory. In Aikin Lambert, “Aikin” refers to John C. Aikin, while “Lambert” refers to Henry A. Lambert. The primary founder of this gold pen manufacturer was John Aikin. Aikin moved to New York City in 1859, and early on, he worked for A. Morton. Later, when the American Civil War broke out, Aikin disappeared from the stationery industry for a while. He returned to New York in 1862 and partnered with different individuals to operate gold pen and jewelry businesses. In 1864, Aikin partnered with Henry Lambert, officially establishing his namesake gold pen business, J. C. Aikin & Co. Lambert served as the company’s sales representative and was not involved in the pen-making process. In 1889, the company was incorporated as Aikin Lambert & Co. before being acquired by Waterman.
Conclusion:
Besides the gold pen manufacturers I discussed in these two articles, there are certainly many others. However, due to space constraints, I won’t introduce them all individually. Because gold dip pens were handmade in those days, there was no standardized size or writing feel, making them difficult to evaluate one by one. I am more interested in the development history of these different gold pen makers, which is why I wrote this article—to fill in some gaps in the history of 1800s writing instruments. If you have any different opinions or insights, feel free to leave a comment. If you find this article interesting, also feel free to share it with your pen friends. [However, permission is required for reposting.]
The reference materials for this article include but are not limited to the following sources:
