The History of the Pencil: Innovation in Graphite and Wood

Posted on 24 October 2025
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Before there were keyboards, typewriters, or even fountain pens, the pencil was cutting-edge technology. It offered something no other writing tool could: portable, erasable creativity. For centuries, it has been the artist’s and writer’s constant companion, ready to capture ideas anywhere, anytime, with nothing more than a sharpener and a spark of imagination.

From Stylus to Graphite

Long before the modern pencil, people used styluses made of metal or bone to inscribe wax tablets and parchment. In the Middle Ages, “lead” styluses, actually soft metal alloys, were common, though they produced dull, pale lines.

Everything changed in the 16th century when a strange, smooth, black substance was discovered in northern England.

The Discovery of Graphite

Around the mid-1500s, a massive deposit of pure graphite was discovered in the Borrowdale Valley of England’s Lake District. Believed to be a kind of lead ore, it was called plumbago, meaning “lead-like.” Farmers used it to mark their sheep, and artists quickly realized its potential for sketching and shading.

Borrowdale graphite was so pure it could be sawn into solid sticks, a geological rarity that made it invaluable not only for writing but also for lining cannon molds. Because of its value, the mines were heavily guarded and sometimes even flooded to prevent theft. Smuggling became common, and many historians believe this illicit graphite trade helped coin the phrase “black market,” as miners’ hands and clothing were stained dark from stolen graphite dust.

Chemically speaking, graphite and diamonds are both pure carbon, but their atoms are arranged differently. In graphite, carbon atoms form loose, stacked sheets that easily slide over one another, leaving a dark mark on paper. In diamonds, those same atoms are locked into a tight, three-dimensional lattice, creating one of the hardest materials known to humankind.
In other words, every pencil carries a little of the same element that forms the world’s most dazzling gemstones, proof that brilliance comes in many structures.

The Birth of the Pencil

In 1560, Italian inventors Simonio and Lyndiana Bernacotti created what is considered the first wood-cased pencil. They hollowed out a stick of juniper, inserted a piece of graphite, and shaped it into an oval so it would not roll off the workbench. Later, they refined the design by gluing two pieces of wood around the graphite core, a process that remains the foundation of modern pencil making.

Interestingly, these early pencils were often referred to as "lead pencils" due to the mistaken belief that graphite was a form of lead. This misnomer has persisted to this day, even though there’s no lead in a pencil at all.

The Evolution of Pencil Manufacturing

The development of the pencil continued throughout Europe, but there was one significant problem: natural graphite deposits were limited. The Borrowdale graphite mines provided some of the purest graphite, but access to it was restricted, and it was heavily controlled by the British government.

To address this issue, Nicolas-Jacques Conté, a Frenchman, invented a new method in 1795 to create pencils from powdered graphite mixed with clay. By varying the ratio of graphite to clay, manufacturers could control the hardness of the pencil lead, giving rise to the familiar range of pencil grades that artists use today. Conté’s method revolutionized the pencil-making process and remains the foundation of modern pencil production.

Pencils Cross the Atlantic

In the early 19th century, the pencil made its way to America. William Monroe, a cabinetmaker in Massachusetts, is credited with producing the first American wood-cased pencils. Around the same time, Henry David Thoreau and his father also improved upon the pencil by developing a superior process for grinding graphite and mixing it with clay, resulting in better quality pencils.

Meanwhile, Joseph Dixon established the Joseph Dixon Crucible Company, which later became the Dixon Ticonderoga Company, one of the most recognizable names in pencils today. Dixon’s mass production techniques helped make pencils more accessible and affordable in the United States.

The Eraser Revolution

For centuries, artists erased with breadcrumbs, pumice, or soft wax. It was not until 1770 that English engineer Edward Nairne began selling small cubes of natural rubber for erasing graphite marks, coining the term “rubber” for its rubbing action.

Nearly a century later, in 1858, Philadelphia stationer Hymen Lipman patented a design that attached an eraser directly to a pencil. His first model embedded the eraser inside the wood, much like the graphite core. While clever, this made it difficult to replace worn-out erasers without ruining the pencil itself.

The breakthrough came with the metal ferrule, a small crimped brass sleeve that held a replaceable eraser on the pencil’s end. This improvement, popularized by American manufacturers in the late 19th century, made erasers modular, durable, and secure. It also gave the pencil its now-classic silhouette, graphite on one end and correction on the other.

Today’s erasers are made from synthetic rubber or vinyl, but the basic concept remains unchanged.

Pencil Brands You’ll Find at the KCAI Underground

Dixon Ticonderoga

Founded from Joseph Dixon’s 19th-century factory, Dixon Ticonderoga became synonymous with the yellow No. 2 pencil, a classroom and studio staple recognized for its smooth graphite and reliability.

Faber-Castell

Founded in 1761 by Kaspar Faber in Germany, this is the world’s oldest pencil manufacturer still operating. Faber-Castell established the first brand-name pencils and standardized lengths and hardness grades. Their Castell 9000 series remains a benchmark for artists.

General’s Pencil Company

Established in 1889 in New Jersey, General’s remains one of the last U.S.-based pencil manufacturers. Known for their graphite, charcoal, and pastel pencils, the company continues to operate as a family-owned business producing non-toxic, sustainable tools for artists. Check out these amazing photographs of their factory by Christopher Payne.

Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth

Founded in 1790 in Vienna by Joseph Hardtmuth, Koh-I-Noor introduced the world’s first graded pencil system, from 9H to 9B. Its name derives from the legendary Koh-I-Noor Diamond, Persian for “Mountain of Light,” symbolizing brilliance, precision, and craftsmanship.

The scale ranges from 9H (the hardest, with the most clay) to 9B (the softest, with the most graphite). The familiar HB pencil falls in the middle, providing a good balance between hardness and softness, making it ideal for everyday writing and drawing.

ArtGraf by Viarco

Portugal’s Viarco company, founded in 1907, reimagined graphite through its ArtGraf line. It produces water-soluble blocks, tailor-shaped bricks, and moldable graphite putty that merge drawing and painting in expressive new ways.

Blackwing

Originally introduced in the 1930s by the Eberhard Faber Pencil Company, the Blackwing 602 gained cult status among writers and artists for its smooth core and rectangular eraser. Its slogan, “Half the pressure, twice the speed,” reflected its unique feel. Famous users included John Steinbeck, Chuck Jones, and Leonard Bernstein.

Discontinued in 1998, it was revived in 2010 by Palomino and remains a symbol of creative culture today.

Find your favorite pencils at the KCAI Underground Art Store, including Blackwing, Dixon Ticonderoga, Faber-Castell, General’s, Koh-I-Noor, and ArtGraf. Each carries its own story of innovation, connecting today’s artists to a long, bright line of creative history.

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