The ink stains on my hands may have finally faded, but fond memories of the Pens & the Post festival remain. Presented in partnership with the Pen Collectors of America, the program focused on fountain pens, handwriting, and postal history.
Letters written during Pens & the Post will be included in care packages sent to the US military by Operation Gratitude. In the first letter above, the author shares a bit of V-Mail history. In the second, a young letter writer points out how tricky it can be to write with a fountain pen for the first time and then discusses favorite foods.
"Think Ink" was a fun activity presented by John Bosley, author of Vintage Inks. Adults and kids alike enjoyed sampling a rainbow of vintage inks, ranging from Waterman’s Aztec Brown (1928) to Sheaffer’s Skrip Peacock Blue (1950).
"Think Ink" caught the eye of visitors and bloggers alike. Ashley E. Bowen not only shared her Pens & the Post experience on her blog but also shared these two photos of vintage ink bottles with us. Other blogs shared their perspective on the festival, including Felt & Wire and Orphaned Postcard Project.
Pens & the Post included many other wonderful elements, from Pens for Kids workshops to a talk on the fascinating history of the Parker Pen Company by Geoffrey Parker, great grandson of the company's founder. Both of these portions of the program can be viewed on the museum's YouTube channel.
The Postal Museum and the Pen Collectors of America want to thank everyone who made this unique festival possible as well as everyone who attended. To find out about how the festival was born, read this post on the magical moment when a museum volunteer put World War II era pens in museum visitors' hands.