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Encre violette parfumée violette
by J. Herbin

 

The delightfully decadent attribute of this ink from French ink maker Herbin is that it has a beautiful violet scent. Again, not something that translates well to a website, but try to imagine. Perfect for intimate correspondence and poetry, as Renée Vivien illustrates. Violets were special to her because her closest friend growing up was named Violet. Unfortunately Violet died young of typhoid fever, and Vivien turned her into an idol partly as a result.

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The poem below by Vivien seems to be written about Natalie Barney, regretting their "disastrous" love affair.

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The only down side of this ink is that it does not have a long shelf life and it clogs up quickly, so not so good for leaving in a pen and dashing off a note.

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