Advertising Inkwells – Multiple Business Clients

This advertising inkwell dating from the early 1900’s was made by the J.E. Mergott Co. of Newark. N.J. for the Dowman Dozier Manufacturing Co. of Atlanta, Georgia. It is made of a thin gilt metal with a hinged lid revealing the original glass insert inside. The front is embossed “DOWMAN DOZIER MANUFACTURING CO. – ATLANTA, GA. – SHEET METAL WORK” with decorative scrolling. The underside has the maker’s mark reading “The J.E. Mergott Co. – Newark, N.J. – PAT. APL. FOR”.

About The J.E. Mergott Co.

The J.E. Mergott Company (often operating under the trademark JEMCO) was a prominent American metalware and novelty manufacturer based in Newark, New Jersey.

• Years in Business: Founded in 1888 (with origins tracing to 1878), Mergott operated as an independent manufacturer through the late 1940s before being acquired in 1950 by the Fedders-Quigan Corporation.
• Manufacturing Focus: While JEMCO was widely known in the early-to-mid 20th century as a premier maker of stamped brass handbag frames, purse clasps, and small cameras (such as the Jem Jr. 120), a major arm of their business was metal advertising novelties and premium desktop goods.
• Advertising & Novelties: Mergott maintained a dedicated novelty product catalog for corporate clients. Companies could order standardized blanks—including perpetual desk calendars, pocket corkscrews, matchbox holders, letter openers, memo pad cases, and transit token dispensers—custom-die-stamped or embossed with their company name, trademark, and regional slogans.

The Inkwells: Production & Timeframe

These brass desk inkwells were part of Mergott’s standardized corporate advertising line, where the base body casting/stamping was fitted with custom dies for individual business clients.

• Design & Style: Featuring a stepped pyramid profile, geometric bevels, and stylized Greek key / meander corner borders, the model reflects early Art Deco / Transition-era commercial design.
• Date Range: These inkwells were produced between circa 1920 and 1930 (most commonly dating to ca. 1925–1929).
• The “PAT. APL. FOR” Marking: The underside stamp (The J.E. Mergott Co. – Newark, N.J. – PAT. APL. FOR) corresponds to several desktop mechanisms and novelty patents assigned to the company during the mid-to-late 1920s (largely designed by Mergott’s prolific in-house inventor, William C. Hiering).

Corporate Advertisers on This Model

1. Dowman-Dozier Manufacturing Co. (Atlanta, GA): Sheet metal, architectural roofing, and tin/copper contractors operating in the early 20th century.
2. William G. Wright (Boston, MA): Promoted with the catchy rhyming slogan “Write to Wright”, typically used on Boston-area commercial trade, insurance, or brokerage stationery novelties.
3. Indianapolis Manufacturing Co. (Indianapolis, IN): Prominently advertising their trademark “Indianapolis Separators” (wood battery separators manufactured for automotive and radio storage batteries throughout the 1920s).

Patent Details

• Patent Number: US 1,389,650
• Title: Inkstand
• Inventor: Franz A. Fuller (Newark, NJ)
• Assignee: The J.E. Mergott Company (Newark, NJ)
• Filing Date: March 25, 1920
• Issue/Grant Date: September 6, 1921

Why It Reads “PAT. APL. FOR”

• The Pending Window: The stamp “PAT. APL. FOR” (Patent Applied For) indicates the base stamping die was created while the application was pending between March 25, 1920, and September 6, 1921.
• Continued Production: In manufacturing practice of that era, companies frequently continued using their existing base dies and stamping tooling well into the 1920s rather than retooling them to add the issued patent number, especially for standardized promotional and novelty runs.

Patent Information – Key Technical Innovations & Design Features

1. Sheet-Metal Stamped Casing Construction:
   • Unlike heavy cast-iron, bronze, or solid glass inkwells of the late Victorian era, this patent focuses on an economical, lightweight, yet rigid sheet-brass / stamped-metal casing.
   • It utilized interlocking tabs/prongs along the underside (visible along the perimeter of the baseplate in your bottom view photo) that fold over to securely anchor the internal mechanism and bottom closure plate without requiring expensive soldering or heavy fasteners.
2. Internal Well Support & Protection:
   • The design provided an internal stamped cradle/collar designed to suspend and cushion a standard removable glass ink reservoir/well.
   • This protected the glass from shifting or breaking during desk use while ensuring it remained easily accessible for cleaning or refilling.
3. Hinged Dust-Tight Lid & Spring/Gravity Closure:
   • The stepped pyramid cover includes an integrated rear hinge stamped directly from the metal framework.
   • The lid mechanism was designed to rest flush against the well opening to minimize ink evaporation and keep out dust, while allowing easy one-handed lifting by the user.
4. Modular Exterior for Custom Embossing (Advertising):
   • The sloping front apron was specifically engineered as a flat, broad presentation face. This allowed Mergott to change out only the face-stamping die in their production presses to imprint custom corporate lettering, trademarks, and logos for commercial advertising clients while keeping the rest of the tooling, stamping dimensions, and internal assembly completely identical.