Part 1

THE

LEAD PENCIL MANUFACTORY

OF

_A. W. FABER_

AT

STEIN NEAR NÜRNBERG.

BAVARIA.

An historical sketch,

in commemoration of the Jubilee celebrated in the year 1861 to mark the completion of the first Century of the existence of the Establishment, dedicated by the Proprietor to his Patrons and Business friends.

MOSS & CO. FABER’S AGENTS FOR SIBERIAN PENCILS, No. 432 Chestnut Street, PHILADELPHIA.

DESCRIPTIVE LIST

OF

FABER’S SIBERIAN LEAD PENCILS, (See page 20 to 23 inclusive.)

_ESPECIALLY ADAPTED_

FOR ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS, ARTISTS, WOOD ENGRAVERS, AND OFFICE USE.

Extra Soft and Extra Black, marked B B B B B B Very Soft and Very Black, “ B B B Soft and Very Black, “ B B or No. 1. Soft and Black, “ B “ No. 2. Hard and Black, “ H B “ No. 3. Middling, “ F “ No. 4. Hard, “ H “ No. 5. Harder, “ H H Very Hard, “ H H H Extra Hard, “ H H H H H H

On cards, 10 pencils, one of each above grades.

In boxes, 7 do. do. do. B B B, B B, B, H B, F, H, H H. Do. 5 do. do. do. B B, B, H B, F, H. Do. 5 (WITH KNIFE AND RUBBER.) do. do. do. do. do.

Artists’ Patent Pencils with moveable leads of all the grades.

Moveable leads, same quality, in boxes, containing six leads of any grade.

MOSS & CO.

Dealers in Drawing Instruments, Papers, Tracing Cloth, Tracing Paper, &c. No. 432 CHESTNUT STREET, PHILADELPHIA.

THE

LEAD PENCIL MANUFACTORY

OF

_A. W. FABER_

AT

STEIN NEAR NÜRNBERG.

BAVARIA.

An historical sketch,

in commemoration of the Jubilee celebrated in the year 1861 to mark the completion of the first Century of the existence of the Establishment, dedicated by the Proprietor to his Patrons and Business friends.

Nürnberg. Printed by U. E. Sebald.

The lead pencil, as everyone knows, is an invention of modern times, and may unhesitatingly be placed side by side with the numerous improvements and inventions, by means of which the last three centuries in particular have so largely contributed towards the spread of Arts and Sciences and the facilitation of Study and Communication. To the classic ages and their art the pencil and in general every application of lead as a writing material was entirely unknown and it was first in the middle ages, as we hear, that lead was employed for this purpose. This metal however was by no means the same sort of thing as the black lead of our pencils, which are indeed only mentioned in conjunction of lead on account of the writing produced by them bearing some resemblance to lead. Besides which lead was then only used for ruling lines and in no instance for writing or drawing purposes. This leadruler was in form a sharpedged disc, such as is said to have been used for the same purpose even in the later periods of the classic ages.

With the developement and growth of modern painting the traces of pencil-like drawings first begin to manifest themselves. The masters of the fourteenth century, especially _van Eyck_, and of the fifteenth, such as _Memlink_ and others, appear to be the first who mention works of art executed with a pencil-like instrument upon chalked paper. They are generally designated as drawings in silver-style, this specification however not being capable of any closer confirmation, though this much is certain that the use of pure silver is not intended to be implied. In like manner it is reported of the Italian artists of the latter part of the middle ages, that they drew with a silver-style upon smooth deal covered with the dust of calcined bones, which process appears however only to have met with very partial success.

On the other hand in Italy in the fourteenth century much drawing was done with styles composed of a mixture of lead and tin; drawings that could be effaced with bread crumb.

_Petrarch’s_ Laura was delineated by a contemporary in this manner and in the time of _Michael Angelo_ the process was still in use. These styles were then introduced into Germany from Italy, under what particular name, we know not. In Italy they are called “_Stile_”, but even they never seem at any time to have been the universally acknowledged drawing material.

About the same period the pen came into use as a drawing- as well as writing-material, to which were added, in the most flourishing days of painting, black chalk and red chalk which enjoyed extensive use. The Italians obtained the best red chalk from Germany and the best black chalk from Spain. _Vasari_, speaking of an artist of the sixteenth century, especially remarks that he understood how to use style, pen, black chalk and red chalk with equal dexterity.

To this period belongs also the discovery of black lead and with it the production of an entirely new writing- and drawing-material—_The Lead Pencil_.

This invention, which conferred so many benefits not only upon practical life but also upon art, was made in England in the reign of Queen Elisabeth, for in the year 1564 the celebrated blacklead mines of Borrowdale in Cumberland were discovered. With the opening of this mine every element was present to render the developement of an extensive pencil trade upon English soil possible.

In the year 1565 the _first_ lead pencils were manufactured in England. The mines of Borrowdale, at one time on account of the valuable nature of their produce exposed even to the predatory attacks of the inhabitants of the neighbouring mountains, supply the English down to the present day with the material for the best English leadpencils. The manufacturing of the lead obtained was simple, the material, as soon as it came out of the mine, being cut to the proper size with a saw and then without any further manipulation fastened into the wood and it is remarkable, that the first pencils made in this manner are acknowledged to be decidedly the best and down to the present day unsurpassed by any other manufacture in the softness and delicacy of the lead. Although the Cumberland pencils were soon in great request as being the first to really meet an exigency long felt, it is their excellent quality that has given them their lasting and universal reputation especially in the World of Art.

The Cumberland mine only remained open for six weeks in the year and yet the blacklead obtained in this short time is stated to have been of the value of £ 40,000 or One Million Francs each time.

The raw material was sent up to London just as it came from the mine and there sold by auction in the _black lead market_, these sales taking place on the first Monday in every month. The price averaged 36-40 shillings per English pound and the value of the good Cumberland black lead according to Dufrénoy was 400 Francs per Kilogramme.

The fact of the English Government having considered it expedient rigorously to prohibit the export of black lead in any other form than that of leadpencils goes to prove of what importance these mines and the manufacture of leadpencils in connexion with them was to England. In spite of the fact however that the mines only remained open for six weeks in the year and that no blacklead might be exported from them, the working of the mines, continued as it was for upwards of a century, at last began to have the effect of diminishing the yield, until at last nothing was to be obtained from them but an inferior and impure material no longer adapted as before for the manufacture of pencils.

In order to protect themselves from the consequences of a failure of the Cumberland blacklead mines, the English strenuously sought in every direction for new blacklead deposits, but down to the present day without the desired success. There remained therefore nothing but to look about for some means whereby the impure refuse still obtainable could be purified.

The process invented for this purpose consisted of first grinding the blacklead to powder as soon as it came out of the mine, then purifying it as much as possible from foreign substances by chemical means and finally compressing it by means of a press in such a manner that the mass could be just as easily cut as the pure Cumberland blacklead used to be. However notwithstanding all the appliances of art and science were brought to bear upon the subject and spite of every exertion to render this composition perfect, the English have not hitherto succeeded in producing any material capable of replacing the natural blacklead as obtained from the Cumberland mines.

These circumstances operated as an inducement to search for a substitute, which would admit of a greater economy in the use of blacklead. Experiments were made in England with this view and various substances such as glue, isinglass, tragacanth, gum &c. were tried for the purpose of cementing and consolidating the earthy blacklead into a firm mass. But none of these means succeeded. Subsequently it was attempted to improve the blacklead by melting it with minerals, compounding it with 30 or 40 per cent of sulphur. But this made the blacklead too brittle and the pencils made by this process would hardly mark at all. At last mixing with antimony was tried, which certainly yielded a composition in outward appearance very similar to the pure blacklead, but which proved to be but an unsatisfactory writingmaterial.

Towards the end of last century the manufacture of leadpencils was introduced into _France_ and soon attained to an extensive developement. Hardly were the last restrictions upon industrial freedom removed in that country, when in the year 1795 the idea was started of making use of clay for the purpose of binding the blacklead together. This process soon found favor on account of its many advantages for by this commixture a great portion of the costly blacklead was saved and at the same time the manufacture rendered materially easier, so that the leadpencils could be supplied at a very much cheaper rate.

By these novel improvements a fresh era in the manufacture of leadpencils was commenced in France. Notwithstanding this however, there was yet very much to be done in the department of blackleadpencil manufacture in order to keep pace with the increased requirements of advancing art and more civilised life.

True, various degrees of hardness and different sorts of pencils were thus obtained but these were by no means proportional to the various modes of use. The manipulation of the brittle material demanded deep study, and conscientious laborers in order to give the pencil the requisite perfection.

If we now turn to _Germany_, it will in the first place be necessary to cast a glance at the developement of German industry and German leadpencil manufacture, it being then shown under what circumstances it had to develope itself and with what rivals it had to enter into competition.

It is not to be denied that from the very first German industry found itself in a more disadvantageous position. France and England had already become intrinsically industrious countries. They possessed immense facilities for foreign trade, the greatest internal freedom of motion for the industrial element, a legislature which took cognizance of all the requirements of industry, in short both countries were, in comparison with Germany, favored by certain circumstances which are indispensably necessary to render industry flourishing and which were then already fulfilled, whereas in Germany political division and animosity and the pressure of the guilds operated most perniciously upon industrial enterprise.

For these reasons industry could only develope itself in Germany later and then but slowly. The transition from the old to the new state of things appeared much more difficult, as many long since antiquated forms, which had become endeared to us by use, had first to be abolished.

The Saxon spirit, which, on the other side of the Channel had attained to such glorious results, had to sustain many a conflict in its native land, and many a praiseworthy attempt suffered shipwreck on the many obstacles, which the splitting up of the nation and the retention of unfeasable arrangements opposed to every great idea.

German science flourished at the same time to a very great extent, but in its exaltation it stood too high above ordinary life, not perceiving how to associate itself with it, so as to penetrate it with its enlightening and warmthgiving rays. Thus German industry remained far behind foreign enterprise and Germany beheld herself inundated with quantities of foreign manufactures, which she herself could have produced just as well, indeed it came to such a pass that foreigners relying upon their well organised commerce and the celebrity of their products even ventured to send German manufactures into the German market, stamped with a foreign trademark.

German industry being at this low ebb, the manufacture of leadpencils occupied but a very modest place. The first traces are to be found in the village of _Stein_ not far from _Nürnberg_. As far back as the year 1726 the churchbooks mention marriages of “_Pencilmakers_”, subsequently also “_Blacklead cutters_” male and female.

Leadpencil making however was then in its very lowest state, as in no case is a large establishment mentioned, and it may be assumed that this branch of trade was only just able to maintain a precarious position in comparison with the English manufacture.

The Bavarian government however soon devoted their attention to this branch of industry and sought to advance it. In the year 1766 a Count von Kronsfeld received a concession for the erection of a leadpencil manufactory at Jettenbach.

But the manufacture, wanting as it was in material, experience and custom, still remained so insignificant, that in “Beckmanns Technologie”, which appeared in the year 1777 “Pencilmaking” merely received a quite superficial and incidental notice.

In the year 1816 the Bavarian government erected a Royal Leadpencil manufactory at Obernzell (Hafnerzell) and introduced into this establishment the French process already mentioned of using clay to consolidate the blacklead.

When the new manufacture was in full play, the government transferred the whole establishment into private hands as was intended from the commencement, though the credit of having given the impetus to renewed activity on a large scale certainly belongs to it.

The establishment is now in the possession of the renowned Regensburg manufacturer. In addition to this the leadpencil manufacture had taken root in Vienna and an establishment was formed there, in which likewise the French process of mixing the blacklead with clay was adopted.

* * * * *

The now so extensive _leadpencil manufactory at Stein_ sprung from very modest beginnings. In the year 1760 namely its founder, =Kaspar Faber=, settled in this village of _Stein_ three miles from Nürnberg, and in the year 1761 commenced the manufacture of leadpencils.

At that time adverse external circumstances pressed heavily upon the young manufactory, the whole possessions of its founder consisting only of a small house situated on the Rednitz and surrounded by a small garden. A judicial inventory dated 1786 still preserved in the family specifies faithfully the insignificant property possessed by them, showing a nett result of “Fifty nine florins”.

The finest and dearest qualities mentioned therein are spoken of as “several gross of _English_ pencils”, for thus the better German manufactures had to disguise themselves under a foreign title. The demand for these manufactures was trifling and purely local, as the spirit of commerce and enterprise did but little to assist their introduction.

Nürnberg and Fürth appear to have been the first to patronise the products of the manufactory. To these places, as we know, the pencils finished in the course of the week were carried on Saturdays in a basket; but the fact of their having been well paid for goes to prove that even then their excellence was acknowledged. The relations at that time existing between the producer and the consuming public were however but little regulated. The producer stood by himself alone, cut off from the world, which seemed to him too immensely large for him to dare to step out into it. The farsighted vision, searching in every direction to discover new wants and invent new improvements, were wanting to him, as was also the beneficial influence of external relations, with which he was never brought in contact.

Nor was the consumer any more favorably situated.

The article became the object of extensive commercial speculation and had often to travel a very long way before it reached the hands of the consuming public, nor was the repute of a good name any guarantee to the consumer of the excellence of the article, for in order to keep the manufacturers in complete dependance, the merchants would not allow them to mark their better products with their names, but prescribed them foreign names and unmeaning signs, such as: Harps, Stars etc.

It was but slowly that the French process of mixing the lead with clay gained ground and many years after the adoption of this process the workmen, even in _Faber’s_ manufactory, were still employed in working the Spanish lead in the old fashioned way by melting it and cutting it with a saw.

The progress of the French however soon forced the merchants to press the Nürnberg manufacturers to advance, so as not to be left behind by competition. After the introduction of the new composition the Nürnberg manufactories soon found themselves favorably circumstanced and yielded satisfactory profits both to the merchants and the manufacturers.

But this was not to last. In the first ten years of this century competition increased steadily and enormously so that demand by no means kept pace with supply, and the vital question forced itself upon the manufacturers, whether they were in a position to produce the article either better or cheaper?

This difficult problem was however solved in a manner unfavorable to the manufacture, and with that revolution commences the decay of the same which now began to make itself felt.

The manufacture had, as before observed, become dependant upon the trade of Nürnberg, which however no longer occupied its former high position, for, although a considerable trade with foreign lands still existed, it was to a great extent nominal. The enlargement and correction of ideas by foreign travel and personal acquaintance with the grand advancement in foreign industry, were wanting and thus no beneficial adjustment of the Nürnberg manufacture could be brought about. Manufacture became the shuttlecock of commercial speculation, which could not even so much as claim the credit of having successfully met the increased requirements of the age or put a stop to powerful competition or an overworked system of trade more calculated for the future.

The trade of Nürnberg at that time lay in the fetters of the guild system, the relic of an earlier golden time, which, aiming at the isolation of industry, which was thereby given into its hands, was the ban that opposed its progress for a length of time, alluring it to act contrary to the interests of native industry and therefore contrary to its own interests.

How much did this system leave of the ancient splendor and well earnt renown of the City of Nürnberg?—A minimum kept and retained solely and alone by the self denial, frugality and industry of the inhabitants. The ingenious, serviceable articles had disappeared, giving place to goods, whose only recommendation consisted in their being unprecedentedly cheap. The endeavour to manufacture without the least regard to quality or serviceability as long as cheapness was attained had become a rooted evil increasing as it descended in all its fulness from father to son. The honorable distinction of the title “Nuernberg, good” soon became changed into the lasting and contemptuous one of “Nürnberg goods” and in the business world people even went so far as to say that nothing good could possibly be produced at Nürnberg.

These circumstances, which are to be laid to the account not only of individuals but likewise of a domineering system and the spirit of a time not so very far distant even now, attest that real industrial activity must go hand in hand with mercantile spirit in order to maintain itself in the world free from the influences above pointed out and enter the lists with competition. It is only emancipated industry that can congratulate itself on real progress and improve the article only by having an eye to the requirements of the consumer.

It was under these circumstances that =Anton Wilhelm Faber=, the son of the founder, whose name the firm still bears, and since 1810 =Georg Leonhard Faber=, the father of the present proprietor, stood at the head of the establishment.

Many improvements had been attempted and several adopted; much valuable experience had been gained, many processes in the manufacture had been perfected and a number of intelligent workmen drawn together; spite of all this however the mercantile relations above described operated most perniciously upon the manufactory.

The mode of manufacture induced by the enslavement of industry on the part of trade more especially destroyed that conscientious strictness, which must form the foundation of a solid industry. Things went so far that articles were sent forth into the world, possessing the outward appearance of pencils, the wood being just tipped with lead at each end as though it was properly filled, whereas in fact you only had a useless stick of wood before you.

Such swindling impositions, sent forth by the Nürnberg manufactories into foreign countries, were well calculated to bring about a complete collapse and it is difficult to regain confidence once deceived or esteem once forfeited. But it must not be supposed that the interests of the Nürnberg pencil manufacture were not solid. The unscrupulous transactions on part of some establishments as a matter of course damaged the reputation of those which carried on their business in an industrious and conscientious manner and the renown of the whole trade was thus placed in jeopardy.

In the year 1839 the present proprietor =Johann Lothar Faber= undertook the management of the manufactory upon the death of his father _Georg Leonhard Faber_ abovenamed.

This gentleman had, down to his nineteenth year, endeavoured as far as possible to perfect his commercial education in Nuernberg in the most fundamental and general manner and, from his earliest youth, especially devoted himself to the study of everything at all bearing upon his father’s manufactory. Even at that time he directed his attention not merely to his father’s affairs, but also to the developement of a business so sadly crippled and underwent many privations in order as much is possible to satisfy the manifold claims laid upon him by the aim which was always present to his imagination.