George Safford Parker, who founded the Parker Pen Company, set out to create a better pen since he couldn't find one that wrote well enough and didn't leak ink all over the place. If he "produced a better pen, people would buy it," Mr. Parker reasoned. So he did, and so did they. George-Parker George Safford Parker didn't begin his career by producing pens. He was a telegraphy instructor. Parker started selling pens for the John Holland Pen Company in order to increase his teaching revenue. Actually, his primary clients were his telegraphy students.

Mr. Parker felt compelled to fix the pens he sold when they broke. He quickly became overburdened with repairs, so he made the decision to create his own model of Parker fountain pen. As a result, Mr. Parker's eponymous ambition to "make a better pen" was realized. In Janesville, Wisconsin, United States, the Parker Pen Company was established in 1888.

The First Fountain Pen

Mr. Parker produced his first fountain pen in 1889, and for his new business, he sought Mr. W. F. Palmer, an insurance broker, as an investor in 1891. Palmer purchased half of Mr. Parker's shares in both his patents and the new company for a $1,000 initial investment. The Parker Pen Company was thus formally founded. Fountain pen with a lucky curve

The Lucky curve ink feeding system, the company's first significant technological advance, was introduced in 1894. When the pen was upright, the ink feed system was intended to drain the ink back into the reservoir by capillary action. Until 1928, Parker used this unique technique in the majority of its best-selling pens (the only change to this system took place in 1898 when the Lucky system design was replaced with the under-feed system design.)

Parker became a significant player in the fountain pen industry after developing the Lucky Curve method.

The slip-on outer pen cap was invented in 1898. The first joint-less pen was introduced by Parker the following year, becoming the pen era's biggest hit. Because all of the fountain pen's essential parts were kept inside the barrel, preventing any ink leakage at all times, this pen was regarded as being ideal.

The Gold Filigree Lucky Curve Pens were first offered in 1900. The taper on the interior of the outer cap was added by Parker that same year as a design enhancement to better fit.

Along with being a successful inventor and having creative abilities, Mr. Parker also recognised the need of market development. He set out on a global trip in 1903 in the pursuit of global distributorships. Scandinavia was the region where he first found success.

The Black Giant, Parker's reaction to market demand for enormous en vogue fountain pens, was one of the numerous technological advancements the company unveiled in the years preceding World War I. In 1905, the Black Giant, a forerunner of the Parker Duofold, was published. It had a traditional threaded section barrel joint, a slip-on cap, a smooth shoulder-less section, and was filled with an eyedropper. Up to its termination in 1921, The Black Giant enjoyed outstanding sales.

Other notable events in the company's early 1900s history include the introduction of the "Spear-Head" ink feed in 1905 and the Emblem Pen (1906), a product that predated today's business-to-business goods by featuring a secret society's mark right on the pen. The next year, the Snake Pen in sterling silver and gold was released. A revised design for the safety cap was introduced in 1912, and an improved Lucky Curve feed was invented in 1911.

Parker-Pen-It-Wins

Due in part to the coincidental creation of the Trench Pen, the Parker pen firm did not experience a significant drop in sales when the First World War broke out, unlike most businesses. The barrel of this pen contained black pellets that, when combined with water, would yield ink. They had a special design that allowed men to stay in the trenches while having their pens filled. With a contract from the US War Department for the Trench Pen, Parker was able to maintain its financial viability throughout the First World War.

In 1914, Parker hired his son Russell to focus on production and some administrative duties, demonstrating once more his commitment to all facets of the company. In order to strengthen the company's marketing initiatives, Kenneth, the second of Parker's sons, joined his father and brother five years later. The Jack Knife safety pen, another predecessor to the Parker Duofold, was introduced by Parker in 1916. Annual sales eventually reached $1 million two years later. The business built a new structure in Janesville the next year to house manufacturing and administration. Up until 1986, the structure housed the corporate offices.

Beginning with the creation of the mechanical pencil, The Parker Pen Company prospered all through the 1920s. Parker was preoccupied with finding new distributorships in Asia, Australia, Europe, and Australia.

Parker Duofold Big Red introduction

Parker gained its name as the pen manufacturer that creates the most durable as well as the most fashionable writing instruments on the market in 1921 when it released its biggest and most significant product to date, the Parker Duofold fountain pen. offered for sale. Big, bold, and very jazzy, the Parker Duofold, sometimes known as "Big Red," perfectly captured the spirit of the Roaring Twenties. The most costly pen on the market was the Parker Duofold, which cost $7. Big-Red

Big-Red-Fountain-PenThe Parker name took on new meaning—innovation, style, and dependability—and is now synonymous with antique fountain pens. Parker opted to offer a 25-year warranty on the Parker Duofold because they were happy with the sales and durability of their most recent design. In 1923, the Parker Duofold pencil came next.

The first Parker manufacturing subsidiary was established in Canada in 1923 as well. The majority of Canada's production was handled by a wholly-owned distribution firm that was established in London the following year. Parker pens were distributed by this company all over Europe.

Jade Green, Mandarin Yellow, Lapis Blue, Pearl, and Black were added to Parker's Parker Duofold family in 1926 and 1927. These colors were all offered in Permanite, a pioneering durable plastic. The old material, which was often brittle vulcanized rubber, was replaced. Parker used marketing gimmicks to demonstrate the durability of their new pens, including dumping them over the Grand Canyon and out of an airplane at 3,000 feet.

For the Parker Pen Company, the 1930s turned out to be another decade of innovation. Quink ink first appeared in 1931. Then in 1933, another marvel of pen engineering by Parker led to the creation of the Vacumatic, a pen with a sacless filling system that could hold more ink than the Parker Duofold. The Vacumatic overtook the Parker Duofold in popularity thanks to this ground-breaking design. It was regarded as Parker's masterpiece and the pinnacle of his protracted career as the top pen manufacturer in the world. Parker's now-famous arrow clip was created by artist Joseph Platt in the same year. Since then, it has come to represent the pinnacle of writing instruments.

When Russell Parker passed away in 1933, his father fell into a deep despair that lasted until his own passing four years later. The creator of the contemporary writing instrument, George Safford Parker, passed away in Chicago at the age of 74. Fortunately, the Parker Pen Company continues to exist and prosper.

With its cigar-shaped design and hooded nib, the Parker 51 won the firm major design honors in 1941. Because of its iconic design, demand for the Parker-Duofold quickly outstripped supply. In 1948, the Parker 21, a more affordable variation of the 51, was released. In a gift box, Parker 51

Following this, Parker's path was paved with continual advancements that helped the business establish itself as the market leader in the industry. Some of their notable productions ahead were: Parker Jotter Pen, Duofold Centennial, Duofold Pearl and Black, Duofold Mosaic Blue & Duofold Mosaic Red.