In Carroll County, Maryland.

In 1931.

I wonder what brand of fountain pen it was.

…In the 1910s and 1920s there were sporadic descriptions of children going “back to school” but the end of August was not truly labeled as such until the 1930s, when stores began advertising “Back to School sales.” Coffman’s in Westminster was the first to use the phrase in the Carroll County Times, on Aug. 31, 1931. Their sales included Parker and Waterman Pens from $1.25 to $7.50, desk globes for a quarter, school bags for 25 cents to $5.

In the first “Back to School” advertisement, Coffman’s offered up a number of deals for families. For a nickel, a family could purchase 16 wax crayons, school paste, a fountain pen, pencil sharpener or a 200-page notebook, and each family that came in and spent at least 50 cents was given free rulers and book covers….

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/cc-lt-back-to-school-20170817-story.html