Pelikan is a German company founded in 1838. The beginnings of the Pelikan Company trace back to the chemist Carl Hornemann, who made his customers an offer for oil paints, watercolors, and “farbige Dinten” (colored inks). These items formed the foundation of the brand's manufacturing line, including most notably the 4001 ink, which is still sold around the world to this day. Pelikan is recognized for their early integration of piston mechanisms into fountain pens, as well as the numbered naming system for their fountain pens such as the M200, M400, M600, M800, and M1000 series.
