The Geography of Pencil History: Switzerland
Originally written by Caroline on 3/29/2021
As the story goes when I talk about why I opened a pencil shop, it all started with a tin of Caran d'Ache colored pencils I received when I was a child. In the past 100 years, pencil manufacture has become a point of in Switzerland for its one and only brand. Originally called Fabrique Genevoise de Crayons, Switzerland's only pencil company was taken over by shareholder Arnold Schweitzer in 1915. At this period of time there were several other burgeoning pencil companies in Europe and there wasn't much to set this small Geneva based brand a part. Schweitzer made a great effort to re-brand and modernize and in 1924 re-named the company Caran d'Ache, after the pen-name of Russian-French political cartoonist Emmanuel Poiré (the name is a Franco-fied version of karandash, the Russian word for pencil). This wasn't really a decision based on the intention to dedicate the brand to Poiré but rather a way to use a recognizable name to mark a brand focused on innovation, playfulness and quality (don't worry--the Schweitzers paid royalties to Poiré's family).
In the couple of decades that followed, Caran d'Ache grew out of just making wood-cased graphite pencils and made some seriously important contributions to the course of pencil development. The first was the Fixpencil--the very first clutch pencil. It was designed by Swiss engineer Carl Schmid in anticipation for another world war as a solution in case cedar supplies became scarce: a more sustainable, reusable pencil. What made his different than other mechanical-type pencils on the market at the time was its propelling tip or clutch mechanism. It featured (and still does) a hexagonal body, mimicking a wood-cased pencil and a 2mm lead, the same size as that of a regular pencil core. These types of pencils are generally used these days by draftsmen and are sharpened with a lead pointer. In 2005 the Swiss Post Office even issued a postage stamp to commemorate the Fixpencil.
The next big thing came in 1931: the Prismalo pencil, the first water-soluble pencil. These firm colored pencils could be worked into with a paintbrush to create a sort of watercolor effect, something that was brand new to the pencil market. The composition of colored pencils is complicated to begin with and requires a more careful manufacturing process than graphite pencils do, so finding a way to make them with water soluble wax was big news. There are a lot of great water soluble pencils on the market now, but the Prismalo is still around and is still a best-seller in Switzerland.
As Caran d'Ache started branching out into other artist supplies like wax pastels and luxury goods like limited edition fountain pens its history in graphite and wood is still very much at its very core. It's fun to go to Switzerland and see how impactful one pencil company has been on Swiss manufacturing and consumerism. You'll find Caran d'Ache in the airport duty free shops, at the post office, in the supermarket--everywhere. There certainly aren't many brands out there that are as focused on heritage and national pride as Caran d'Ache is. They even make pencils out of wood from non-pencil-wood trees that grow in Switzerland. Maybe that's just a very Swiss thing--think about about the amount of pride that comes with other Swiss-made things like watches and chocolate.
This year I'm spending a lot of time researching pencil brands made in different countries than the ones I'm already familiar with and what I'm learning is that there are so many countries that really only have one brand, or if they have many there's always one that stands apart from the rest and it seems that this is ofter for good reason. The cool thing is that a lot of these brands are still owned by the families who founded them--Caran d'Ache is owned by badass lady boss Carole Hubscher of the fourth generation.
