Historical information

This item is an ink bottle used to store a quantity of ink ready for writing at a desk or table. The bottle is thought to date from the mid-period of the Twentieth Century, and is likely to have been purchased full of ink rather than filled and refilled from a bulk bottle of household ink. Similarly, in this time period, the ink is likely to have been used to refill a fountain pen with an internal storage reservoir via an eye-dropper or converter mechanism rather than used by a writer who dipped their pen in the ink frequently as they wrote.

Ink bottles were typically designed to have a broad, stable base that decreased the likelihood of the article tipping when a pen or converter was dipped into the ink. Bottles were produced in a wide variety of shapes and colours, primarily dictated by product differentiation and aesthetic appeal in the growing retail market that emerged due to improvements in fountain pen design which made access to convenient writing implements cheaper but also more portable. Prior to innovations in fountain pen nibs and filling systems that made them cleaner and more reliable to use, writing may have been conducted at a writing desk which held an inkwell which was refilled from a larger bottle or (prior to the beginning of the Nineteenth Century) filled with ink reconstituted from powder form or dissolved from a tablet or cake of dry ink.

Angus & Co. were a Melbourne-based company established in 1896 which manufactured ink, gums and pastes for domestic and industrial purposes, including manufacturing the bottles in which their products were sold. The business was initially located at 112 King Street, Melbourne, after Joseph Armstrong Angus and his wife Emma moved to Melbourne. The company shifted location several times, occupying sites in North Fitzroy and Northcote, including the ink manufacturing plant and bottle works.

Significance

The item is significant for the insights it provides into the development of writing technologies generally and the application of these to writing practices used by schools and businesses and offices in Emerald and the surrounding region, including the commercial and economic practices required to support these activities.

Physical description

Round flat-bottomed clear glass bottle with a metal lid and an ink-manufacturer's label adhered to the outward-facing surface. The bottle is partially filled with black or dark blue ink. This item is an ink bottle used to store a quantity of ink ready for writing at a desk or table. The bottle is thought to date from the mid-period of the Twentieth Century and is likely to have been used to refill a fountain pen with an internal storage reservoir via an eye-dropper or converter mechanism rather than used by a writer who dipped their pen in the ink frequently as they wrote. The bottle is thought to date from the mid-period of the Twentieth Century, and is likely to have been purchased full of ink rather than filled and refilled from a bulk bottle of household ink. Similarly, in this time period, the ink is likely to have been used to refill a fountain pen with an internal storage reservoir via an eye-dropper or converter mechanism rather than used by a writer who dipped their pen in the ink frequently as they wrote.

Inscriptions & markings

Obverse:
ANGUS & CO. /
PTY. LTD. /
INDIAN INK /
SUPERIOR WATERPROO /
DRAWING IN /