HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A greyisch black shiny substance was discovered in England in the 16th century and was described as followed: "it feels greasy and leaves stains on one´s fingers, but it is ideal for writing and drawing".  

 

It was initially thought that the newly discovered substance was a type of lead ore. 

 

In order to be able to use the extracted "lead" for writing purposes, it first had to be cut into narrow, rectangular rods that were encased in a wooden "mantle" in order to be able to hold the pencil properly and not stain one´s fingers. 

 

The black-lead pencil was born.