Parker Pens

The Parker Pen Company was founded by George Safford Parker of Janesville, Wisconsin in 1888. Parker had previously been a salesman for the John Holland Gold Pen Company. The pens leaked and Parker spent more time repairing the pens than selling them. He decided to design his own pen and was granted a patent for the first Parker fountain pen in 1889. Other innovations in pen design introduced by Parker Pen include the Lucky Curve leak-reduction system in 1894, the slip-on pen cap in 1898, the hooded nib in 1939, the self-filling fountain pen in 1956, and the cartridge pen in 1960.

Parker responded to consumer demand for larger fountain pens by introducing the Black Giant in 1905. Further innovations to large-sized fountain pens resulted in the launch of the Parker Duofold fountain pen in 1921 and the Parker 51 in 1939, considered one of the best fountain pens of the 20th century.

Another Parker Pen innovation occurred in 1954 with the introduction of The Jotter, Parker's first ballpoint pen. The Jotter was not the first ballpoint pen on the market, but it included a large refill and quickly gained a reputation for reliability. Both the Duofold fountain pen and the Jotter ballpoint pen are still produced today.

Quick Facts

• Parker introduced the Vacumatic pen in 1932, the first pen that Parker mass produced. Vacumatics held twice as much ink as Duofolds and were the first Parker pens to include the arrow-shaped clip that Parker is known for today
• The 1954 first edition of The Jotter was made of nylon and came in black, gray, red, orange, and green. The 1954 Jotter had a plain clip rather than an arrow clip and did not have a metal nib protector
• The Parker Jotter saccharine dispenser was a portable sweetener carrier with the Jotter design, introduced in 1965