This item from the Benton County Historical Society's
collection is not something you'd find in a home or office today.
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Pounce Box, circa 1830
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Even though the object has a number of holes in the top, it
is not a salt or pepper shaker. It is a
shaker of a sort called a pounce box.
Pounce is the ground up resin of the sandarac tree (Tetraclinis articulata) of Morocco. In the past, writers would sprinkle either
pounce or sand over a newly inked document to keep the ink from running or
smearing. This pounce box dates from the 1830s and was used by J. H. Lines in
Iowa. He brought it with him to Oregon
in 1853.  |
close-up detail
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Pounce boxes were also filled with charcoal dust or other colored
powders to copy a design by shaking the box over a pattern created by
perforations in paper. This can of pounce powder from circa 1914 has holes in
the top so it can be used directly without the need to transfer the powder to a
box.
Once people rarely used dip pens or fountain pens, pounce
boxes were no longer an essential object for writers.By
Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath,
Oregon
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