Henry David Thoreau: Philosopher, Poet, Pencil Pioneer
(via arttattler.com)
We unilaterally advocate that “Jack of All Trades” be revised henceforth to “Henry of All Trades.” Our fave anarchist, Henry David Thoreau…WHAT A GUY. Despite Nathaniel Hawthorne’s less-than-glowing description of the Maine Woods/Walden author (“[He is] ugly as sin, long-nosed, queer-mouthed, and with uncouth and rustic, though courteous manners, corresponding very well with such an exterior. But his ugliness is of an honest and agreeable fashion, and becomes him much better than beauty”), Thoreau’s appearance certainly belied the beauty and breadth of his earthly oeuvre.
The Harvard-educated Concord, Massachusetts native cultivated many projects outside of his experiments in solitary lean-to living, including a pursuit of particular intrigue…PENCIL-MAKING! Henry’s father, John, took up the trade in the 1820′s in their hometown. Many unsuccessful trials in the manufacture of these implements had taken place in the shops of other Concord woodworkers. However, it was Henry who succeeded in creating a high quality medium by mixing graphite with clay to achieve various opacities. He and his father also developed new equipment for assembly and grinding of materials. J. Thoreau pencils were coveted by artists and draftsmen…
…and by us, currently. A bona fide set of these rustic crayons would give a whole new life to standardized testing.
“Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.” ~HDT
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