Caran d’Ache was founded in 1915 by Arnold Schweitzer as Fabrique Genevoise de Crayons. Located in Geneve, It was the only Swiss manufacturer of pencils, art supplies, and writing instruments, with a reputation of high technical standards, precision, and reliability.
The name Caran d’Ache was the pseudonym of a 19th century French satirist and political cartoonist Emmanuel Poiré. The name comes from Russian word karandash / карандаш, which means pencil. Born in Moscow in 1858, Caran was the grandson of an officer in Napoleon’s army who, wounded during the Battle of Borodino, had stayed behind in Russia. While his first work glorified the Napoleonic era, he went on to create stories without words and as a contributor to newspapers. Caran is sometimes hailed as one of the precursors of comic strips. Then Fabrique Genevoise de Crayons took the name Caran d’Ache in 1924 as the name of the company.
I have a simple white Caran pen. This is the pen I bring in my notebook case, to be used regularly on daily meetings, etc. So simple — slim and totally ornament-less like a regular ballpoint — that nobody so far has recognised it as a fountain pen.
Usually I used bright colour ink, such as turquoise and sky blue. It is a good combination with the white body of the pen.
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