Pelikan has been turning writing into an art form for over 180 years. The fountain pens glide over the paper with incomparable fluidity, bringing each word to life. The elegant design and carefully chosen materials offer comfort, sturdiness and beauty, making them a reliable and inspiring everyday writing companion. Pelikan’s inks offer remarkable fluidity and colours that are true to German standards. The Edelstein range features a refined bottle and rich colours inspired by precious stones. The German brand accessories include elegant leather cases designed to protect your fountain pens in style. Gold nibs, available in several sizes, offer exceptional comfort and enhance every writing gesture. These items reflect Pelikan’s expertise, combining tradition, innovation and timeless refinement.
The story behind the brand :
The history of the brand dates back to 1838, when chemist Carl Hornemann set up his company in Hanover to produce paints for artists. In 1863, Günther Wagner joined the company as a chemist and took over the management 8 years later. He renamed the company “Günther Wagner” and chose to mark his products with the pelican depicted on his coat of arms. This commitment to excellence led him to register the Pelikan trademark in 1878.
He subsequently began manufacturing non-toxic paints for children. He launched aggressive advertising campaigns to make them known to teachers: it was a huge success. In 1881, Fritz Beindorff joined the company as a salesman. After marrying Günther’s daughter, he became Günther’s second in command.
When Lewis Edson Waterman created the feeder in 1884, the fountain pen took off. Carl Günther saw this as a market opportunity and began manufacturing fountain pen inks. True to its promise of excellence, it designed inks of exceptional quality, which are still among the best in the world today.
The first fountain pen
The first fountain pen that was functional in every detail was created by Hungarian engineer Theodor Kovacs. He patented his invention in 1923. He cooperated with the Günther Wagner company, which saw in this manufacturing process an extraordinary opportunity to start designing this writing instrument. What was revolutionary about this innovation was its filling system. A differential piston that moved up and down thanks to a screw mechanism. The seal was perfect.
The first Pelikan fountain pen was created in 1929. On several occasions, the company used its imagination to find its place in this already highly competitive market. First, it had the ingenious idea of creating a transparent window on its first model so that the remaining ink could be seen. In addition, when it came to choosing fountain pens, competitors were making a different model for each nib size. Pelikan came up with the idea of offering a single fountain pen in two different colours, but with a very wide choice of nibs. It was very easy for retailers to assemble the nib the customer wanted.
The Souverän
One of the German company’s flagship models was the Pelikan 100, available in several colours. In 1934, the magnificent Pelikan 111 Toledo was created, with a steel body featuring engraved and hammered pelican motifs. The clip showed the pelican’s beak for the first time. In 1950, the Pelikan 400 came onto the market, with its transparent body striped in green and its clip in the shape of the beak of the famous bird. Back in the 1980s, Pelikan gave it the name Souverän and produced it in various sizes (from M100 to M1000). In 1960, the Pelikano was specially designed for schoolchildren, with an unbreakable aluminium cap and a cartridge filling system.
For more than 90 years, Pelikan has been making fountain pens whose exacting standards of quality and creativity have enabled it to quickly find its place among the precursors of the object, and today makes it one of the best fountain pen brands in the world.
