A blotter is a desk accessory that holds sheets of absorbent blotting paper used to dry freshly written ink. The two main forms are the flat desk blotter or blotting pad, a large mount with leather or metal corners holding paper on the desk, and the rocker blotter, a curved handled block rolled over a page.
Blotting paper came into widespread use in the nineteenth century, gradually replacing sand and pounce as the usual way to dry ink. Victorian and Edwardian desks were frequently furnished with matching sets including a blotter, inkstand, pen tray, letter rack, stationery box and paper knife. Fine examples were made in tooled leather, silver, brass, tortoiseshell, wood and Tunbridge ware, and the great Paris and London retailers sold luxury desk sets as gifts. Silver-mounted rocker blotters and blotter covers bearing hallmarks are popular with collectors. Value depends on quality of material and workmanship, the maker or retailer, condition and whether pieces belong to a complete set. Although few people use fountain pens daily, an antique blotter still makes a handsome protective surface on a desk and adds a traditional note to a study.
