Celebrating the legacy of Nicolas-Jacques Conté who invented the modern pencil and Conté crayon

Nicolas-Jacques Conté, a French painter, balloonist, army officer, and inventor of the modern pencil, was born on this day, August 4, 1755, in Normandy, France. If our daily lives are easier and more expressive due to the simple gift of the pencil, it is Conté to whom we must direct our gratitude to. He made a name for himself owing to his mechanical innovations that proved to be of crucial use to the French army. In fact, Napoleon is said to have lavished praise on Conté owing to the wide range and utility of the products that he conceived and developed.

Conté made at least one hot-air balloon. He contributed to the improvement of the production of hydrogen gas, as well as the treatment of the gas bag of the balloon itself, and is credited with forming the first air-borne battalion. In fact, he lost an eye in an accident involving hydrogen gas. While one of his early interests lay in the then-newly developing science of aeronautics, he is best known today for his invention of the modern pencil and Conté crayons.

At the time, production of rudimentary forms of writing equipment required the use of graphite. However, it was proving difficult for the French to obtain graphite owing to the British blocking the French ports during the Napoleonic wars. Therefore, Lazare Nicolas Marguerite Carnot, a French mathematician, physicist, and politician, requested Conté to come up with an alternative. After intensive research, Conté considered mixing powdered graphite with clay and pressing the material between two half-cylinders of wood. Thus was formed the modern pencil. Conté received a patent for the invention in 1795 and formed ‘la Société Conté’ to make them.

Conté also invented the conté crayon named after him — a hard pastel stick used by artists. The conté sticks are a drawing medium composed of compressed powdered graphite or charcoal mixed with a clay base, square in cross-section. Conté crayons had the advantage of being cost-effective to produce, and easy to manufacture in controlled grades of hardness. In the 1880s, Georges Seurat used conté crayons to produce many of his studies. The design of both the conté crayon and the pencil has virtually remained unchanged over the centuries and continues to serve the common people and artists alike.