"Great Wall" pencil with swan-and-water design, HB grade
Entry/Object ID
2026.2.4
Description
Round wood-cased pencil with a brass-colored crimped ferrule and red rubber eraser; opposite end blunt/unsharpened. Cream/natural barrel printed with a pictorial design of white swans on blue water with red accents. A faint red maker's imprint survives near the ferrule (a small framed logo, the grade, and a few abraded lines). Two images: the object and a screenshot of its CatalogIt record.
Acquisition
Accession
2026.2
Source or Donor
Alberto Darias Marcos
Made/Created
Manufacturer
China First Pencil Co., Ltd.
Place
Country
People's Republic of China
Continent
Asia
Edition
Great Wall (长城 / 长城牌)
Notes
Date: Undetermined; not datable from the object. The Great Wall brand spans much of the later 20th century into the present, so the brand identification does not fix the date. Plausibly mid-to-late 20th century; possibly within 1959–1990 but not confirmable. Tentative — see Flags.
Inscription/Signature/Marks
Notes
Grade "HB" (legible); small red framed logo (Great Wall trademark); "GREAT WALL".
Materials
Material Notes
Materials: Wood barrel (cedar or basswood); graphite/clay lead (HB); brass-colored metal ferrule; rubber eraser; lithographed/printed finish.
Technique: Mass-manufactured wood-cased pencil; barrel printed with pictorial design and imprint; ferrule crimped; eraser inserted.
