![]() Official production of the Blackwing began in 1934, a year described by history as the turning point of the Great Depression: with unemployment decreasing in the US the births of Frankie Valli and Sophia Loren a nation captivated by the escapades of Bonnie & Clyde and John Dillinger and, not far from the Eberhard Faber Pencil Company’s Chicago sales office, the rise of underdogs the Chicago BlackHawks who won their first ever Stanley Cup title after a mediocre start to the season. ![]() In this sense, the Blackwing became a ritualistic element of the writing. After this he would resharpen them all and begin the process again. ![]() John Steinbeck, according to his son Thomas, would start every writing sessi on by sharpening 24 Blackwing pencils to a needle sharp point and placing them in one of two identical pots, he would write with them for a few lines until they dulled, then place them in the second pot until all pencils had been used. The Blackwing 602 grew a fan base of loyal devotees including Disney animator Shamus Culhane (animator of the classic heigh-ho scene in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves!) who, according to animation historians requested that he be buried with his Blackwing 602! There are many high profile individuals who publicly espoused their preference for the Blackwing 602. Having emigrated from Germany to manage the subsidiary of the Faber-Castell empire, Eberhard’s sons Eberhard II (known as John) and Lothar took over the company with sales offices in seven major cities in the US, interestingly the original New York City plant is now the site of the United Nations and the Brooklyn factory is the site of the Blackwing Loft, a creative arts and performance space. Going back to the roots of Blackwing, the 602 model was first introduced by the Eberhard Faber Pencil Company - which you may recall from our Faber-Castell: Pens, Pencils and a Whole lot of History! article published way back in June. With a varied - and sometimes controversial - history, Blackwings’ story is one of multiple corporate acquisitions, a cult following and now a modern company founded on an ethos of quality and philanthropy. What do Bugs Bunny, Lennie Small, Holly Golightly, and Lolita have in common? They were all brought to life by the legendary creatives of the 1940's and 1950's who wielded the now legendary Blackwing pencil! From John Steinbeck, Quincy Jones, Sondheim & Bernstein, Nabokov, and Chuck 'what's up doc’ Jones to modern day artists, architects and musicians - frankly anyone with a penchant for quality and the need of a pencil! The Blackwing pencil is as celebrated as those who declared they couldn’t work without it - which was exactly what happened in the late 1990’s.but we will get to that.
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