Eight Books San Francisco is a bookbindery run by Notara Lum. She has a love for vintage things, as we do, and she offers contemporary versions of classic desk accessories to people that also enjoy vintage style.
"When I tell people I make desk blotters, I often get a quizzical look and have to utilize the following explanation, "you know, like in old movies, when you see a person sitting at a desk writing a letter with an ink pen and there's this thing underneath the letter, with triangle corners."
Blotter History
There is no definite date for the invention of the desk blotter, but I surmise it came along with the advent of quill pens and desks. Writers needed something to protect their desk from ink smears and give them a more even writing surface. The original desk blotter would most likely have been a simple sheet of thick, absorbent cotton paper used until it was ink covered and then replaced. Some time in history a person decided to build a holder with corner pockets to keep the paper in place and the modern desk blotter was born. Today, few people write with ink pens and blotters serve more as a decorative finishing touch for the desk. Here are a few of my favorite pop culture desk blotters.
David Suchet superbly portrays Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot in the BBC program of the same name. His blotter is diminutive but substantial, matching the character of Poirot. It looks to have a well for the blotter paper to sit in. The pen and ink stand match the beveled edges of the blotter.
John F. Kennedy’s desk blotter, above, is part of a suite of desk accessories gifted to him in 1961 by Charles de Gaulle, then president of France. Also pictured are the rocker blotter, cigarette box, and note pad. Made by Parisian leather company, Hermes, the almost square blotter measures 19.5″ x 14″ and is made with alligator skin and two privacy flaps. The whole suite utilized brass in the hinges and other accents. The set was on Kennedy’s desk in the Oval Office and is now held at the John F. Kennedy Library.
In The Big Sleep, Vivian Rutledge (Lauren Bacall) flirtatiously sits on Philip Marlowe’s (Humphrey Bogart) desk, very near his slightly worn desk blotter. A great movie adaptation of a Raymond Chandler novel. The blotter is a spare, utilitarian, leather corner type.
These days, with few people using ink pens, the blotter is more of an accent piece, Lum says, "people buy desk blotters to ground their work space and it creates a focal point for their office". Either using them in the traditional or decorative way, blotters brings a little joy to where you do your work or plan your fun.
Care for the Blotters
Avoid long periods of direct sunlight.
Remove dust with a dry cloth or fine dusting brush.
Do not use liquid or spray cleaners.
If using under a computer, insert a barrier such as a thin stack of paper or a pieces of board between the hot computer base and the blotter surface. This helps prevent warping if the computer gets really hot.
Each blotter comes with a removable plastic sheet for the central area, which will protect the design for a long time. It also makes the surface firmer for writing with a hard pen and you can put items underneath it.