Whimsical Art of Pen Wipes

Felt pen wipe with a recumbent lion

More than 50 felt pen wipes, the collection of Edwa F. Wise, recently sold at Pook & Pook in Downington, PA.  Pen wipes, which are rarely seen at auction, come in a variety of whimsical forms and date to the days before modern ball point and felt tip pens when people wrote with nib or dip pens.  These pens, having no ink reservoir, were dipped into an inkwell to collect ink, and a pen wipe was necessary to wipe any excess ink from the nib, or tip of the pen.

Pen wipes were sometimes in the form of bronze figures with bristled backs, while others, like those in the Wise Collection, were handcrafted out of felt.  They were often made as small gifts and exhibit a great deal of skill and creativity. The creative forms they were made into, usually animals, are endless and include examples like a puppy drinking water, prize pigs, and mice nibbling on pretzels and corn.  Human figures also exist, as well as the more commonly seen heart-in-hand design, and they are found in both two- and three-dimensional forms.

-Jennifer Castle, Editor, p4A.com