Come and join the New York 19th Century Society’s Parlorcraft Circle as we explore Spencerian script and other antique styles of handwriting! Practice your elegant cursive over tea and conversation!
Most of us learned the Palmer method of cursive script – or none at all, as cursive handwriting has been eliminated from school curriculum across the country. But in the late 19th- and early 20th centuries, the “golden age of American handwriting,” Spencerian script was the standard style for business correspondence. Fluid and graceful, yet simpler than the elaborate Copperplate style of the 18th and early 19th centuries, it was invented by Platt Rogers Spencer, who taught it at schools he opened for handwriting instruction. The style quickly spread to other schools and became the standard, until the typewriter replaced cursive for business correspondence. You may recognize Spenserian script from the Coca-Cola logo, or from wedding invitations and other elegant personal correspondence
Materials, supplies, and instruction will be provided, but feel free to bring your own fountain or dip pens and paper. Tea and light refreshments will be served but you may bring your own treats to share if you wish. Please leave your laptops and modern sewing/craft projects at home for this event – we’re all about historic hand work!
Moderated by Rachel Klingberg and Morgana Toglia, we heartily invite you to craft and design to your heart’s content!
