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History of Pencil Sharpeners Timeline

(1828–Present)

The history of pencil sharpeners traces the evolution of a simple writing tool from hand-held blades to precision manual, electric, and specialized devices. Less

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Early inventions and patents

Boucher’s pencil-sharpener invention is reported

1822

A French book published in 1822 reported in detail on an invention by Mr. C. A. Boucher of Paris for constructing a pencil sharpener. This account marks one of the earliest documented stages in the development of the modern pencil sharpener.

Image source: Pencil sharpener

Boucher’s pencil-sharpener invention is reported

Paris becomes an early center of sharpener development

1822

The 1822 report connected the early development of pencil sharpeners with Paris, where Mr. C. A. Boucher’s invention was described in a French book.

Boucher’s construction method enters the historical record

1822

The detailed description of Boucher’s construction method provided an early written record of a device specifically intended to sharpen pencils.

Lassimonne applies for the first pencil-sharpener patent

1828

French mathematician Bernard Lassimonne of Limoges applied for the world’s first patent on a pencil sharpener in 1828.

French patent number 2444 is granted for a sharpener

1828

Lassimonne’s invention was recorded under French patent number 2444, making it the earliest known patented pencil sharpener.

Limoges joins the early history of pencil sharpeners

1828

The patent application by Bernard Lassimonne identified Limoges as another important French location in the early development of pencil-sharpening devices.

Cooper and Eckstein patent the Styloxynon

1833

In England, Cooper & Eckstein patented the Styloxynon in 1833, adding a new design to the growing range of pencil-sharpening devices.

The Styloxynon uses two sharp files

1833

The Styloxynon consisted of two sharp files arranged together, showing that early sharpeners could use abrasive filing surfaces rather than a rotary blade.

The Styloxynon uses a right-angle arrangement

1833

The two files in the Styloxynon were set at a right angle, creating a simple guided arrangement for shaping a pencil point.

Rosewood is used for the Styloxynon block

1833

The Styloxynon’s files were mounted in a small block of rosewood, combining a wooden body with metal filing surfaces.

The modern recognizable sharpener emerges in France

1847

The 1847 invention is identified as a key transition because it introduced a pencil sharpener with the recognizable modern handheld form.

Thierry des Estivaux simplifies hand sharpening

1847

Des Estivaux’s invention established a simple handheld approach, making the sharpener a compact tool designed to be operated directly by the user.

The hand-held sharpener takes recognizable form

1847

In 1847, French nobleman Thierry des Estivaux invented a simple hand-held pencil sharpener in a form recognizable as a modern sharpener.

Commercial development

The first American pencil sharpener is patented

1855

Walter Kittredge Foster of Bangor, Maine, patented the first American pencil sharpener in 1855.

Walter Kittredge Foster patents a sharpener

1855

Walter Kittredge Foster became associated with the first American pencil-sharpener patent, extending the technology’s documented development to the United States.

Image source: Pencil sharpener

Walter Kittredge Foster patents a sharpener

Bangor becomes linked to American sharpener history

1855

Foster’s patent identified Bangor, Maine, as the location connected with the first American pencil sharpener.

American patenting expands the sharpener field

1855

The 1855 Foster patent represented the expansion of pencil-sharpener invention and patenting from Europe into the United States.

The United States becomes a major sharpener market

1890 - 1899

The late nineteenth-century commercial expansion of pencil sharpeners was especially notable in the United States, where multiple mechanisms were offered for sale.

Mechanically varied sharpeners reach the market

1890 - 1899

By the end of the nineteenth century, pencil sharpeners using various mechanisms had been developed and placed on the market, particularly in the United States.

Rotary cutter mechanisms become part of sharpener history

1897

The Jupiter 1 provides a documented example of rotary cutter technology in pencil sharpeners at the end of the nineteenth century.

Jupiter 1 demonstrates reversible sharpening hardware

1897

By making its cutter-disks reversible, the 1897 Jupiter 1 exemplified a durable mechanical approach used in some older pencil-sharpener models.

Jupiter 1 places cutting edges around a center

1897

The Jupiter 1’s rotary cutter-disks had cutting edges radiating outward from the center on each side.

The Jupiter 1 uses reversible cutter-disks

1897

The German Jupiter 1, an older model dating from 1897, used reversible rotary cutter-disks rather than a single fixed sharpening surface.

Automatic Pencil Sharpener Co. is founded

1900 - 1909

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the company Automatic Pencil Sharpener Co., commonly known as APSCO, was founded.

APSCO develops the US Automatic Pencil Sharpener

1907

After 1907, APSCO brought out the US Automatic Pencil Sharpener, a prominent product in the company’s early history.

The US Automatic Pencil Sharpener dominates its era

1907 - 1919

The US Automatic Pencil Sharpener dominated the pencil-sharpener market during the years following its introduction after 1907.

Electric sharpeners and collecting

Office electric sharpeners appear

1917

Electric pencil sharpeners for office use had been made by at least 1917, marking the transition from entirely manual devices to powered equipment.

Electric sharpening enters office equipment

1917

The existence of electric office sharpeners by 1917 shows that pencil sharpening had become an application for powered workplace machinery.

The Boston Polar Cub is introduced

1936

The Boston Polar Cub pencil sharpener was introduced around 1936 and is the oldest surviving electric pencil sharpener.

The Polar Cub becomes the oldest surviving electric model

1936

The survival of the Boston Polar Cub gives historians a physical example of early electric pencil-sharpener design from around 1936.

Paul Johnson builds a large sharpener collection

2010

Rev. Paul Johnson, an Ohio minister who died in 2010, assembled a collection containing hundreds of pencil sharpeners.

Paul Johnson’s collection is preserved after his death

2010

Johnson’s death in 2010 preceded the public display of the extensive collection he had gathered, allowing the objects to continue representing pencil-sharpener history.

Hundreds of sharpeners go on display in Logan

May 2011

In May 2011, tourism officials in Logan, Ohio, displayed hundreds of pencil sharpeners collected by Rev. Paul Johnson.

Logan’s regional welcome center hosts the collection

May 2011

The public exhibition of Johnson’s collection took place at Logan’s regional welcome center, turning a tourism venue into a temporary showcase of pencil-sharpener history.

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Key Facts

  1. En 1828, le mathématicien français Bernard Lassimonne a demandé le premier brevet au monde pour un taille-crayon.
  2. French inventor Thierry des Estivaux patented an improved conical pencil sharpener in 1847, establishing a form closer to modern sharpeners.
  3. Walter K. Foster received a U.S. patent for a pencil sharpener in 1855, helping popularize mechanical sharpening devices.
  4. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, sharpeners became common classroom and office supplies, often made from metal or cast iron.
  5. Electric pencil sharpeners became increasingly popular in the 20th century, while contemporary designs emphasize safety, portability, efficiency, and reduced waste.

Source

This History of Pencil Sharpeners timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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