Parallel to the development of book hands, the chancellories and scriptoria of France developed a handwriting that was easy to write and well adapted to the needs of a growing world trade. The best features of several handwriting styles were combined, the resulting mix was known as Bastarda. Together with the printed Gothic Textura, it formed the basis of the later German Fraktur typefaces.WF Bastarda View Character Set Try it!
Advances made in printing technology gave the evolution of handwriting a completely new direction. Skilled engravers carefully etched letters into copper printing plates, creating scripts of hitherto unseen clarity and fineness of line. These calligraphic gems were first reproduced by the printing press, and then imitated by calligraphers and writers. The evolution from handwritten letter to printed sheet had come full circle.WF Copperplate 1672 View Character Set Try it!
The standard handwriting developed in the late 18th century, English Hand survives today in many variations as WF English Hand View Character Set Try it!
Old German Script always differed from the Latin scripts used by the rest of Western Europe. This particular rendition is an early 18th century German hand as it would have appeared in official documents and formal letters. With some practice, you will be able to figure out the different characters and may come to read the German handwriting quite fluently.WF German Latin View Character Set Try it!
James II is a stately hand - suitable for WF James the Second View Character Set Try it!
Spanish bureaucracy held on to the Bastarda longer than most other nations. It was used for elaborately ornamented appointments as well as for everyday orders of the King and Queen. This version of Bastarda is based on a later specimen - somewhat cleaned up and made more legible than the truly cryptic original, this font works well on prints that command a more prestigious appearance.WF Spanish Court Hand View Character Set Try it!
The successor to the Uncial script is marked by a return to slightly straighter shafts. In the four centuries to come, this tendency becomes stronger, until a rigid, vertically oriented style is achieved: The Gothic Textura. The 10th Century Bookhand can be seen in some of the most precious illuminated manuscripts, but it was also employed in the everyday copying of school text books.WF Tenth Century Bookhand View Character Set Try it!
Around the year 800 A.D. ancient Roman handwriting styles still dominated Western European writing. Around that time, parchment made from animal skins replaced traditional papyrus, and this new, smoother surface allowed for less rigid letterforms. Soon the lines of the letter shafts softenend and became rounded, resulting in the beautiful Uncial script.WF Uncial View Character Set Try it!
Inspired by the hand of the great bard, our WF William Shakespeare View Character Set Try it!