Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Our Treasures: Whangārei Museum inkwell collection in class of its own

Georgia Kerby
By Georgia Kerby
Northern Advocate columnist·Northern Advocate·
1 Oct, 2019 12:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Samples from Whangārei Museum's inkwell collection. Photo / Supplied

Samples from Whangārei Museum's inkwell collection. Photo / Supplied

OUR TREASURES

Whangārei Museum's inkwell collection is small but diverse, showing simple to ornate designs made from cut glass, cast iron, wood, plastic, ceramic, and metal alloys.

Before the rise of commercial plastic production in the early 1900s, and for a few decades after, everyday utilitarian items were often made better, to last longer, and even to augment fashions of the time.

Ink wells are a good example of common home and office supplies which were once in a class of their own in terms of the effort and craftsmanship given to produce a diaspora of luxury home accessories available at local department stores or through mail order.

While ink bottles, discussed in a previous Our Treasures article, are the vessels for transporting, storing and sometimes holding ink on a desk, inkwells are their fancier older sibling, on display and often trussed up with many trimmings.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Kiwi North collection includes an example made from cut "uranium" green glowing glass and another from ornately patterned brass.

Not all were beautiful ornaments though, especially those mass-produced for large scale businesses and schools.

E. J. Drake's decorative inkwell. The Drakes were an early European family who settled in the Purua area.  Photo / Supplied
E. J. Drake's decorative inkwell. The Drakes were an early European family who settled in the Purua area. Photo / Supplied

Many a New Zealander today will still remember little white ceramic inkwells sunken into school desks, probably also the stains of ink spattered across everything. Through changes in technologies and materials over the 20th century, the variety of inkwells have now dwindled down to the basic ballpoint pen.

In a museum it is often not just the aesthetics or technology of an artefact that holds interest but most importantly the origin and story it possesses.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Our rather unassuming black plastic inkwell with an "improved non-spill design" (2006.37.1a, b) is of interest technologically as it is made from Bakelite, an early form of plastic.

However, of more significance to Whangārei, it belonged to our city's Chief Postmaster Des Dowie, who worked for in this role from 1975 to 1985. One can imagine Des' desk scattered with letters, envelopes, pen nibs, this black ink well, and probably an ink bottle or two.

Discover more

Welcoming spring in style at Kiwi North

10 Sep 02:00 AM

Our Treasures: Ink bottles in a class of their own

17 Sep 02:00 AM

Our Treasures: Knife rests part of dining table etiquette

24 Sep 01:00 AM

Part-funded road seal extensions planned for summer

30 Sep 05:00 PM

Another inkwell, this time of greater beauty, has a fascinating family connection (1992.50.27). Made of a silver-painted metal, the inkwell is large with two legs out front that gracefully curve up to the body in leaf shapes.

A delicately curved shelf rests between for resting pens. It is both ornamental and functional, being an attractive desk ornament when closed, but revealing two white "milk" glass ink wells once the lid is back.

As part of the estate of Edward John Drake, it was donated by Mrs Strong in 1992. The Drakes were an early European family to settle in Purua area, Northland.

Other items in our collection help to tell the Drakes' story, such as a Bible gifted to Jessie Drake in 1887 when bringing her family from Bristol to New Zealand to meet her husband Richard George Drake who had already emigrated from the UK in the SS Aorangi.

Their descendant E. J. or "Ted" Drake was born in Purua in 1916, but we are unclear on the rest of the details regarding his life. Any information would be appreciated and could also serve to connect other items with the Drake name.

Such are the complicated lives and stories these small artefacts have born witness to and we so love to share at Kiwi North.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern AdvocateUpdated

'Lives are seriously at risk': Residents call for NZTA action at notorious crossing

10 Jul 05:29 AM
Northern Advocate

The $1.5m price tag: Covering the cost of vandalism in Northland schools

10 Jul 04:00 AM
Northern Advocate

'Real uncertainty': Residents question 8.3% rates hike

10 Jul 03:37 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

'Lives are seriously at risk': Residents call for NZTA action at notorious crossing

'Lives are seriously at risk': Residents call for NZTA action at notorious crossing

10 Jul 05:29 AM

The community came out in droves to call for better safety at the Ōtaika Shopping Centre.

The $1.5m price tag: Covering the cost of vandalism in Northland schools

The $1.5m price tag: Covering the cost of vandalism in Northland schools

10 Jul 04:00 AM
'Real uncertainty': Residents question 8.3% rates hike

'Real uncertainty': Residents question 8.3% rates hike

10 Jul 03:37 AM
NZ shearers take the UK by storm on tour

NZ shearers take the UK by storm on tour

10 Jul 03:27 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP