Described by William Wilson Corcoran as the “lady with a pen”, 19th century Irish-American artist Eliza Pratt Greatorex is known to have traveled extensively with her inkhorn, producing drawings of old New York, Colorado, Algiers, Italy, Bavaria and France.
The “penner” or “inkhorn” was a device in use from the Middle Ages to the development of industrially manufactured fountain pens in the mid to late 19th century. Typically made of cows’ horn these clever objects provided a carrying case for ink, pen, and ashes or blotting powder. Short quill nibs were carried in the upper chamber, with an ink bottle below it. Its cork stopper provided a soft surface for nibs to rest upon that would not dull their points. Beneath there ink bottle is a container for ashes with a perforated cover for shaking the blotting-powder onto the page.
This particular example is a replica of an penner made ca. 1760, made by master horner Arthur deCamp, President of the Kentucky Rifle Association and a Master member of the Honorable Company of Horners guild. One of his inkhorns received the “Best in Show” award at the 2010 conference of the Honorable Company of Horners.
Art’s website: http://www.artspowderhorns.com/index.html