Penmanship in the 18th Century（在线收听）

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 quill, 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 graceful style, or “hand.”