Pen nib box
Geo. W. Hughes
Category
Education objects
Date
Unknown
Materials
Cardboard and metal
Measurements
Each box - 65 mm (width); 20 mm (height); 45 mm (depth)
Place of origin
Birmingham
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 666645
Summary
Two small cardboard boxes of pen nibs, one of which is sealed and the other has been opened. Each box has an identical label except one is coloured dark red, yellow, white and green and the other is coloured purple, yellow, white and green. The label on top of the box is printed in black and white and reads 'Geo. W. Hughes, Gold Medals, London 1909. Brussels 1910. Turin 1911, Ajusto, A Delightful Pen'. On one side the label reads 'Geo. W. Hughes, Birmingham, England'. On the other side the label reads 'England:- Registered Nos. 308088 Etc, United States Patent Office, Rep. Argentina Marca De Fabrica Registrada, And Registered In Many Other Countries. Made In England' (on a scroll). The label on the base reads 'Made In England'. Below this is a testimonial to the pen signed by Geo. W. Hughes and printed on a yellow diamond; this testimonial is translated into four different languages, one in each corner of the label. At the foot of the label are the words 'Used All Over The World'. The label on one end of the unopened box reads '1 Gross (144 Pens)' and on the other end reads 'Ajusto No. 1037F'. The ends of the opened box are coloured dark red. Each gold coloured nib is impressed with the words 'Geo. W. Hughes 'Ajusto' No. 1037 Registered'. Total number of items is 116.
Provenance
'Derbyshire Museum Service History of Education Collection' - a collection established by Derbyshire Museum Service (through gifts from individuals, Derbyshire schools and purchases) in the 1940s and stored at Sudbury Hall from the early 1970s to 2012. The National Trust managed the collection between 1991 and 2012 when legal ownership was transferred from Derbyshire County Council to the National Trust. Archival records information - "The collection was established as a result of isolated gifts in the 1940's, and the 'savings' of certain school records (now passed to County Records) during wartime paper salvage." "During the 1950s it was L.E.A. practice to hold an Easter Course for teachers, and the County (Derbyshire) Museum arranged a special exhibition for teach course. As by the mid 1950s quite a collection had already accumulated, it was decided to produce an exhibition on the history of education with special reference to Derbyshire. Consequently, further material was purchased, from which items were selected. The exhibition was subsequently shown at a number of centres, and after disbandment, additions continued to be made with the aim of eventually producing a reconstructed classroom as a base for research. The Derby Bishop Lonsdale College of Education has frequently made use of the collection in various ways."
Makers and roles
Geo. W. Hughes , manufacturer