Pelikan inks

Pelikan inks

The history of the brand dates back to 1838 when the chemist Carl Hornemann founded his company for artists’ paints in Hanover. In 1863, Günther Wagner joined the company as a chemist and took over the management eight years later. He renamed it “Günther Wagner” and chose to use the pelican on his coat of arms on his products. This commitment to excellence led to the registration of the Pelikan trademark in 1878. Subsequently, he began to manufacture non-toxic paints for children. He launched offensive advertising campaigns to make them known to the teaching community: it was a huge success. In 1881, Fritz Beindorff joined the company as a salesman. After marrying Günther’s daughter, he assists him in the management.

When Lewis Edson Waterman creates the feeder in 1984, the fountain pen takes off. Carl Günther saw this as a market opportunity and started to manufacture fountain pen inks. True to its promise of excellence, he developed inks of exceptional quality, which are still today among the best inks in the world.