City of Armadale - History House > Records

INKWELL - GLASS

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Overview

A round squat glass bottle.

The top of the bottle has a thick rim that connects to a shoulder made up of progressively wider ridges which then connects to the body.

There is a rim around the base.

Historical information

The makers marks being Stephen’s Inks Australia Pty Ltd is the Australian branch of Stephen’s Inks. The founder of Stephen’s Inks was Dr Henry Stephen’s who in 1832 invented an indelible ink that would become mandatory for all official documents.

By the 1850s the ink was advertised in local Australian newspapers and in 1924 consignments of ink were shipped to distributers for general sale.

In the 1930s a factory was built in Sydney for the manufacture of ink and related products.

This bottle would have been disposed of after its contents were finished or once the owner no longer wanted it and threw it away. Supposedly the bottles remained company property and were to be returned or picked up to be refilled. The idea the ink was sold, not the glass bottle.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-33-AK2000.157

Material

Glass

Inscriptions and markings

Base [PROPERTY OF STEPHENS' INKS AUST PTY LTD]

Statement of significance

LOW

Example of ink bottles purchased by people so they could write before the advent and availability of ball point and fountain pens.

Last modified

Friday, 2 October, 2026