Artifact: Carbon Black Ink Powder
Materials: Ink
Dimensions:
Date:
Origin:
Collection: FK1954 via Wikimedia Commons
License: Public Domain
Ledger Entry: Inkpowder
Department: Literacy
Customer: Thomas Harrison
Ledger Page: 236
Imported From:
Product Description
Ink was a crucial element for Colonial American writing. It could be made from various materials and could thus produce a range of colors, from black and blue to red, gray, and green. The most common type of ink used during this time was called iron gall ink. It was a mixture of galls from oak stems, an iron compound, and gum. It produced a black ink that was permanent on paper.
Citation: E. Jennifer Monaghan, Learning to Read and Write in Colonial America (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2007).;
Historical Price: 12 pence; Modern USD: $11.2
Product Variations
The databases record two purchases of ink powder. The ink was sold by the paper, probably a small envelope. These ranged in price from five pence to twelve pence.
