I can remember when first teaching in Scotland ordering a large bottle of Quink blue-black ink for my classroom. All the children wrote with fountain pens (as did I) Also required was a large quantity of blotting paper. And red ink for marking my register.

When I was a child however, each class had an Ink Monitor, whose job was to go round filling up all the little inkwells set in the wooden desks. He/she used an enamel jug with a spout, and the ink was mixed using powder and water. Our pens were wooden things with a detachable nib. One merely dipped them into the inkwell. No fountain pens in those days.
God I'm blooming ancient!