The “Love Sharpener” was designed by John Lee Love of Fall River, Massachusetts.
John Lee Love’s invention was a very simple and portable pencil sharpener. The same kind of pencil sharpener that many artists use or that can be found in an office or school room.
In John Lee Love’s invention the pencil is put into the opening of the sharpener and rotated by hand. It was designed so that the shavings would stay inside the sharpener. It is interesting to note that while the patent drawing depicts the Love Sharpener as being quite plain. John Lee Love wrote that it could also be designed in a very ornate fashion and that his pencil sharpener could also be used as a desk ornament or paperweight.
John Lee Love’s pencil sharpener was patented on Nov. 23, 1897.
