Pilcrow Pith

Cover from Portfolio of Ornamental Penmanship by A.N. Palmer Co.

Yesterday’s blog post from The Ministry of Type focuses on a singular specimen of lettering ephemera from the last century: a digitized version of W.E. Dennis’ Studies in Pen Art is truly a gem, but once you get hooked on this stuff you will want more and more (at least that is what happens to me). These materials are wonderful ephemera and excellent fodder for inspiration for those who love letters. The publication linked to by the Ministry is just one of several publications from the same period during the last century when business schools taught penmanship as a main staple of their curriculums.

A whole slew of publications dedicated to surface in America as early as the 1860s and were popular into the 1910s and beyond. Of course some of these manuals are better crafted than others. Some showcase impressive skills at ornamental lettering, while others more simply demonstrate how to write with a clear and legible hand. Some of of these are (again, at least for me) objects of desire and others are simply charming objects that may fill one with nostalgia.
One could spend years on end trying to rummage around and track down all of these books, but again we are saved some of the effort thanks to the world wide web. The International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting (IAMPETH) has put together a short listing of some of the most important manuals and has made them available digitally as .pdf files or as .jpeg images.
One day I’ll actually sit down with one or two of these books and a loaded pen and just may try practicing by writing some of you letters in an elegant hand, just don’t hold your breath until then.