Spencerian Script
Encyclopedia
Script (typefaces)
Script typefaces are based upon the varied and often fluid stroke created by handwriting. They are organized into highly regular formal types similar to cursive writing and looser, more casual scripts.- Formal scripts :...
style that flourished in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1850 to 1925.
Platt Rogers Spencer
Platt Rogers Spencer
Platt Rogers Spencer was born in East Fishkill, New York, on November 7, 1800, and died in Geneva, Ohio, on May 16, 1864. Spencer is credited as being the originator of Spencerian penmanship, a popular system of cursive handwriting....
, whose name the style bears, was impressed with the idea that America needed a penmanship
Penmanship
Penmanship is the technique of writing with the hand using a writing instrument. The various generic and formal historical styles of writing are called hands, whilst an individual personal style of penmanship is referred to as handwriting....
style that could be written quickly, legibly, and elegantly to aid in matters of business correspondence as well as personal letter-writing.
Spencerian Script was developed in 1840, and began soon after to be taught in the school Spencer established specifically for that purpose. He quickly turned out graduates who left his school to start replicas of it abroad, and Spencerian Script thus began to reach the common schools. Spencer never saw the great success that his penmanship style enjoyed because he died in 1864, but his sons took upon themselves the mission of bringing their late father's dream to fruition.
This they did by publishing and distributing Spencer's unpublished book, Spencerian Key to Practical Penmanship, in 1866. Spencerian Script became the standard across the United States and remained so until the 1920s when the spreading popularity of the typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
rendered its use as a prime method of business communication obsolete.
It was gradually replaced in primary schools with the simpler Palmer Method
Palmer Method
The Palmer Method of penmanship instruction was developed and promoted by Austin Palmer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It soon became the most popular handwriting system in the United States....
developed by Austin Norman Palmer
Austin Norman Palmer
Austin Norman Palmer innovated the field of penmanship with the development of the Palmer method of script.-External links:**, including scans of the January 1932 issue of Palmer's American Penman...
.
The text in Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
's logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
is written in this style, as was the original Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
logo.
Resurgence
An official recognition by IAMPETH as a uniquely AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
form, combined with various new books, video tutorials and methods are making Spencerian more accessible to those interested in learning it. Spencerian script has also seen a resurgence in academic use by some charter schools and home schooling using revised Spencerian school practice books and learning methods produced by former IAMPETH president Michael Sull
Michael Sull
Michael Sull is an IAMPETH master penman and author living in Mission, Kansas, United States. A world-class expert on penmanship, he was Ronald Reagan's calligrapher after his Presidency and is known worldwide for his skill and teaching ability...
.