Penmanship is a nearly lost art that up until recent decades, was as much an artform as it was a necessary form of communication. In the days of our ancestors and before photo ID, an individual's 'hand' or unique nuances in composition could serve as a suitable method of identification.

 

In 1850, the world literacy rate was approximately 20%. In the United States, it was over 95%. A person's education was not complete if they were unable to write it out both legibly and elegantly. The collection here is a combination of documents I based on originals encountered in my studies as well as general notes I scripted out to guide me in writing the articles. With a sharp-eye, you can spot passages from my writings as they first appeared.