Penmanship in the 18th Century

Beautiful handwriting was very important in the 18th century. People took pride in the look of letters and invitations. Pens were made from the tip, or quill¹, of the feather from a swan or turkey. Good writing paper was made from sheepskin. Letters were sealed by dripping hot wax on the paper, which was then stamped with a seal. The design of the seal could be a person’s initials or coat of arms.

Penmanship was taught in school. The slope of the letters was supposed to be at a 54-degree angle. There were lots of other rules for writing properly, and it took many hours of practice to write in a graceful² style, or “hand.”

1 quill   

n.羽毛管；v.给（织物或衣服）作皱褶

参考例句：

• He wrote with a quill.他用羽毛笔写字。
• She dipped a quill in ink,and then began to write.她将羽毛笔在墨水里蘸了一下，随后开始书写。

2 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。