why is a fountain pen called a fountain pen

redhead23 | 20:51 Sat 14th Apr 2007 | How it Works

6 Answers

why is it called after a fountain does anyone know ?

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redhead23

Question Author

thank you tony !!!xx

scotchollie

I believe it is atrributed to Henri la Fontaine a monk, who lived and worked at monastery of La Belle Plaisanterie de la Stylo in Toulouse in 1432.

Tiring of writing manuscripts with a quill, he experimented by filling chicken bladders with ink and attaching them with sellotape to the top of the sticks, the end of which was tapered to an early type of nib.

Much experimentation saw the design refined, whereby the stick had a groove carved into it, allowing for a reliable ink flow from the bladder to the nib.

This allowed the copying of manuscripts to be done much more efficiently and quickly and the output of the little monastery caught the attention of Pope Pius XI who demanded to know how it was being done.

The answer - that it was down to "la Fontaine's pen", stuck and the rest, as they say, is history.

redhead23

Question Author

lovely scotch thank u kindly xxx

clancyblob

I wonder where Henri La Fontaine bought the sellotape in 1432! Is the date on this answer right or should it be April 1st?

THECORBYLOON

In the 1400's, wine-making was an expensive affair but locks had yet to be invented. To keep the riff-raff and undesirables out of the wine-cellars, the doors were secured by cellar tape and I think it was this that M. la Fotaine used

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