Vigo County Historical Society

Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - December 1, 1985
By Susan J. Dehler
Vigo County Historical Society

Shaker pot held substance used to control ink

Time after time, motion pictures of Victorian romances or American histories have depicted characters writing letters or signing and sealing documents. We see them dip a quill pen into a large ink pot and then scratch their message across parchment paper.

After the signers of the Declaration of Independence put down their feathered pen, what powdery substance did they shake onto the paper? And why?

The answer is in the pounce pot, which was used for centuries as a vital part of the writing process. It was a small container with holes on top (somewhat like a large salt shaker). It contained pounce -- a powdered substance made from cuttlefish bone or gum sandarac.

When the writing was finished, pounce was sprinkled over the paper to keep the ink from spreading. Parchment and uncalendered paper (that is, not smoothed and glazed between rollers or plates) did not absorb ink well. So pounce was a necessity in keeping writing legible.

Pounce also was used when scratching out errors with a penknife. According to one account, "The pounce was rubbed in with the tooth of a dog or goat... to smooth the roughened surface of the paper and prepare it to receive the rewriting."

Pounce pots, or sanders, were made from a variety of materials--silver, pewter, brass, porcelain, wood or pottery.

The holes on top went through several modifications. At first, they were round in shape, but by the1730s they had saw-toothed edges. Generally, if the pot did not have a cork stopper in the bottom, the pounce had to be poured back through these holes after use. By the 1760s, the holes were curved in shape to make the pouring back into the pot easier.

The metal sander on display in the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley was used during the mid-19th century and probably contained real sand.

When the process of mechanically calendered paper was introduced in the late 18th century, sand was popularly used as an "ink blotter."

Typically, this metal sander did not have a "lid" or "cork stopper." which made the job of pouring the sand an untidy one.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday through Friday.