A Legacy in Lead

As New York City students return to the classroom, we’re dreaming of fresh school supplies. Notebooks, rulers, folders, and of course: pencils. Were you the kid who always had two freshly sharpened pencils ready to go at a moment’s notice? Were you the monster who borrowed a pencil and never returned it? Either way, there’s a good chance you've used a Faber pencil.

The Faber family started manufacturing pencils in Germany in 1761. In 1848, John Eberhard Faber moved to Manhattan, where he opened a stationary store and later established the country’s first pencil factory. In 1872, the factory was destroyed by a fire. Rather than rebuilding, he moved operations to 100-106 West Street in Greenpoint, where he opened the Eberhard Faber Pencil Factory. The company got started in an existing warehouse but quickly expanded, adding additional floors, acquiring more buildings, and constructing new buildings.

In addition to pencils, the factory also produced pencil cases, eyebrow pencils, eyeliner, and office supplies. They were also the first company to merchandise colored pencils and offer them in sets. The factory employed hundreds of people, the majority of whom were women. In 1956, the factory closed and operations were moved to Pennsylvania. The factory buildings were sold to investors, and in 2007 the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Eberhard Faber Pencil Company Historic District, which includes eight remaining buildings and a freestanding wall.

Interested in seeing more photos from CBH’s collections? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images, or the digital collections portal at Brooklyn Public Library. We look forward to inviting you to CBH in the future to research in our entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections. In the meantime, please visit our resources page to search our collections. Questions? Our reference staff is available to help with your research! You can reach us at [email protected].