The history of Cretacolor's products dates back to 1790 when Joseph Hardmuth, a Viennese architect and inventor, developed the first graphite pencil. Composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Schubert, both giants in their age, were sponsored by Joseph Hardtmuth, who was a lover of music and the arts. The mind boggles when considering all the famous musical compositions written using pencils manufactured by Joseph Hardtmuth. Queen Victoria herself was said to be thrilled when, in 1889, she first used a pencil made in the Cretacolor factory.