Gift box "Violet Pensée" containing a bottle of purple ink, and a wood-handled fountain pen with writing tip.
Since Napoleon the 1st, French students have written with purple ink, which was the least expensive ink. This ink was composed of violet methyl, also known for it's disinfectant properties. The steel-tipped fountain pen invented by the Romans was only industrialised in the 19th century. It was mandatory for use in primary schools in France until the 1970s.
