Brass Double Inkstand with Patented Lids

Description

• Base: The inkstand features an Art Nouveau/Victorian-style double base formed from a lightweight stamped sheet brass. It has an ornate scrolled border and four stylized feet.
• Inkwells: There are two matching square glass inkwells with clear, textured/diamond-patterned pressed glass bodies. Each inkwell is fitted with a decorative gilded brass collar/mantle that slips over the glass and features an integrated hinged dome lid embossed with an ornate floral motif.
• Central Compartment & Pen Rack: Positioned between the two inkwells is a matching, small, square lidded metal box typically intended to hold stamps, pen nibs, or wafer seals. Rising directly behind this box is a decorative brass frame designed as a dual pen rack to cradle dip pens.

Patent Information

• Patent Number: U.S. Patent No. 596,245
• Date Issued: December 28, 1897
• Inventor: Ernest Oldenbusch
• Purpose: The patent was specifically granted for an “Improvement in Hinges” (Hinge for ink-well caps). Its goal was to create a very simple, cost-effective, and secure method to attach a swinging hinge cap directly to the decorative sheet-metal collar (or mantle) of an inkwell so that it couldn’t be easily or accidentally pulled apart during regular use.

Manufacturer and Origin

• Manufacturer: Kronheimer & Oldenbusch (often marked or known as K. & O. or K. & O. Novelties Company).
• Location: New York / New Jersey, United States.
• Historical Context: Before officially incorporating Kronheimer & Oldenbusch around 1900, Ernest Oldenbusch worked for William Schimper, a major New Jersey manufacturer of decorative metalwork. This piece was made right around the turn of the century (circa 1898–1905) during the height of their production of “art metal novelties,” desk sets, and vanity wares.