Spencerian Penmanship

   , SPENCERIAN SCRIPT

   The typewriter, the word processor, and the computer have almost made the need for good penmanship obsolete. But written notes are sometimes very effective in business, and socially they are a decided asset. Spencerian handwriting is the name given to a style of ornate penmanship introduced by Platt Rogers Spencer (1800-1864), an American calligrapher. Written with a fine pen, with the down-strokes tapering from top to bottom and large loops, the writing has a forward slope and marked terminal flourishes. Spencer taught this style for many years, and it had a marked influence on American calligraphy.

   Born in East Fishkill, New York, Spencer migrated to Geneva, Ohio, where he conducted unique penmanship classes in a log cabin on his farm. He then branched out with lectures and classes at business schools and academies and wrote a series of textbooks used by many schools during the pre-Civil War period. His handwriting had such a stamp of excellence that Spencerian became the hallmark of good handwriting. His textbooks, naturally, helped popularize his style. Spencerian script, descriptive of his penmanship, although considered elated and old-fashioned, has become a collectors' items.