Slate Pencils, circa 1875

Summary

In the nineteenth century, schoolchildren used slates to practice handwriting and arithmetic without wasting precious paper. Slate pencils were made of soapstone or softer pieces of slate rock, sometimes wrapped in paper like this one. Many students remember the sound of the slate pencil -- like nails on a chalkboard. In the late nineteenth/early twentieth century, chalk was used instead.

In the nineteenth century, schoolchildren used slates to practice handwriting and arithmetic without wasting precious paper. Slate pencils were made of soapstone or softer pieces of slate rock, sometimes wrapped in paper like this one. Many students remember the sound of the slate pencil -- like nails on a chalkboard. In the late nineteenth/early twentieth century, chalk was used instead.

Artifact

Pencil (Drawing and writing equipment)

Date Made

circa 1875

Creators

Unknown

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

33.160.13

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Slate (Rock)
Paper (Fiber product)

Color

Gold (Color)

Dimensions

Length: 6

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