By Ron Dutcher
By Ron Dutcher
[ Main Project Page | Reference Info Index ]
A jewelery and pen company.
In the 1840s Bard Brothers controlled a major piece of the gold pen market. Their top of the line pen was named the "Levithan" it was marketed towards accountants and bankers. Basically it was an impressive large, flashy gold nib with a lot of eye-catching appeal.
Nevertheless, Bard Brothers closed in 1851. George Stimpson Jr. took over the Boston branch while Edward Todd and William P. Smith, who had worked as a traveling agents for Bard Brothers, bought the New York opperation to create Smith & Todd.
For far more information about Edward Todd and George Mabie, see David Moak’s book Mabie in America (now out of print).
This article is part of the Manhattan Pen Makers Project, originated by Ron L. Dutcher. Except for typographical corrections, the text is as Ron published it. Ron wanted to include photos of advertisements or pens from each maker; he had some photos, but the gallery was far from complete. Photos here are a mixture of what Ron had and what I have been able to add from my own photo library. As with other reference articles on this site, you should not take this information as absolutely authoritative or complete.