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With AI technology, digital art, and modern printing techniques, documents and other ephemera with handwritten lettering are becoming rare. Calligraphy is the method of lettering with a quill or nib dipped in an inkwell. The word is derived from the Greek words for “beauty” (kallos) and “to write” (graphein). Documents written in calligraphy often include intricate designs for letters and are frequently embellished with drawings.
EARLY CALLIGRAPHY WORKS
Initially, calligraphy styles grew out of the countries in which they began. In China, the earliest works are ones where artists carved characters on jiǎgǔwén or shell bone scripts. In 220 BC, Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang created a unified set of characters, so no matter which artist was creating a piece, anyone looking at it would know what the characters meant. The Chinese method used brushes, and the earliest ones date from about 202 BC.
With a standard set of characters, the art form also became a meaningful way to communicate and spurred the education of scribes and artists who could create illustrated and written items for scrolls and books.
ROMAN INFLUENCES
The Far East was not the only place to find calligraphy. Early Roman lettering began with the Imperial Capital style in about 113 AD. The letters were very minimalist, with straight lines, and stonecutters often used that style to put letters and numerals onto stone columns and buildings. Some historians have said Imperial Capital’s block letters inspired the font Times New Roman.
Later on, around 800 AD, Roman artists and scribes finished the Book of Kells. Tourists, scholars, and calligraphy fans can see the book in Dublin, Ireland, at Trinity College. The pages bring the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to life with intricate drawings and bold-lettered text. The style of this work is called Uncial and was mainly used for illuminated manuscripts that illustrated Biblical passages and poetry.
When Charlemagne was ruling, he sought to have scribes create literature and Bible verses on parchment, and soon, a uniform system was in use throughout the Holy Roman Empire. Scribes called it Carolingian minuscule; the text was smaller and allowed more words on a page. Works done in this were also very colorful as they included “versals,” which were intricate drawings of the first letter in the first word of a verse or passage.
Gothic was the next popular style and is usually what people think of when hearing the term calligraphy. Early calligraphers used a sharply cut quill or metal nib, and the strokes were broad and bold.
Eventually, the Romans and artists in China figured out how to carve symbols into copper plates. Printers could use the plates to create pages much faster than hand-copying methods. Etching a design into a copperplate, artists placed the plate into a printing apparatus to make a whole page with one press.
Copperplate printing wasn’t just about letters; it allowed a scribe or artist to create a map, a diagram, or other illustration, which a printer could then crank out in bulk. Collectors will often seek examples of copperplate prints as these creations often involve more intricate work. Copperplates were a faster way to incorporate early illustrations of plants, animals, and machinery.
MODERN CALLIGRAPHY
As printing techniques got better and more automated, the hand-copied pieces became more challenging to find. Especially with primitive inks and thin rice paper or parchment, some calligraphy designs were difficult to preserve and, if not appropriately kept, would deteriorate over time. Still, hand-lettered work is very valued by vintage fans.
Probably the most well-known calligraphy creators today are the professionals in the White House. The Graphics and Calligraphy Office (GCO) is part of the Social Office of the White House, and employees are paid well for their skills. White House calligraphers do about 40 percent of their work by hand, and November is the busiest month since the Social Office oversees so many holiday events and receptions at that time of year.
Sanford Fox, who served in both the Army and the Navy during World War II, came to work in the White House in 1952 after working in the agency that later became the CIA. His calligraphy work is famous as he served seven presidents, most notably John F. Kennedy. Fox created the funeral card for JFK and several menus, place cards, and other items.
In 2013, White House calligraphers hand-addressed approximately ten thousand envelopes containing cards and invitations and created thousands of awards, proclamations, and certificates. Place cards, table cards, and other ephemera from White House events are very popular with calligraphy fans, presidential memorabilia collectors, and history buffs.
While some collectors want examples of handwritten calligraphy work, others will collect vintage pens, nibs, or inkwells. Calligraphy materials were often ornate, with crystal bottles of ink and carved pens so they would look good sitting out on a desk.
Travel writing desks are also popular with calligraphy fans. Most are antique and include a sloping cover as a writing surface, with compartments to safely carry writing supplies such as ink, paper, and correspondence materials.
While technology, advanced AI, and vivid color printing can create beautifully lettered invitations and other works, there is something special about a thick sheet of vellum paper with a deckle edge and precise lettering crafted by hand. It recalls a time when social obligations and customs were complicated, and some written words needed to be artistic and appropriately presented. Collectors who want to preserve a piece of that history should keep an eye out at estate sales or ephemera auctions. You never know when a letter or card will fall out of a book or drawer with something more than a stamp and return label.
Brenda Kelley Kim lives in the Boston area. She is the author of Sink or Swim: Tales From the Deep End of Everywhere and writes a weekly syndicated column for The Marblehead Weekly News/Essex Media Group. When not writing or walking her snorty pug, Penny, she enjoys yard sales, flea markets, and badminton.
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