The roots of the company Pelikan go back to the year 1838, when the chemist Carl Hornemann founded a small company producing ink and water colours, close to Hanover, Germany.

In 1871, he sold the company to his production manager Günther Wagner, who not only gave his name to the company but also added the Pelikan image from his family's coat of arms to make his inks easily recognizable. He registered Pelikan as a trade mark in 1879 and this now makes it one of the oldest brands in Germany.

The company grew and expanded with further products in ink, glue, and water colours. In 1929, after Pelikan had purchased the patent for the differentiated piston filling mechanism, the first Pelikan fountain pen was born. In the following decades the company established its international reputation as a manufacturer of high-quality fountain pens. Today, Pelikan offers a collection for every taste as well as a choice of Special and Limited Edition products that are treasured by collectors and many others world-wide.