
The Hidden Messages of Colonial Handwriting - benbreen
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-hidden-messages-of-colonial-handwriting
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Kinnard
Fascinating. I bet this would be even more powerful with a homoiconic language
like Hebrew:
[http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/137068/jewish/...](http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/137068/jewish/Letters-
of-Light.htm).

And then penmen would have gotten what they wanted working with the tools of
God: the hebrew letters are considered to be the foundational creative and
substantive components of the Universe, so they would have been a priesthood
of sorts guarding a lot more than social class:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofer)

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ggchappell
> a homoiconic language like Hebrew

What does "homoiconic" mean in this context? (Google doesn't help.)

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Kinnard
The letters look like what they mean. This series goes through each one:
[http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/1930265/jewis...](http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/1930265/jewish/Letters-
of-Light.htm)

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KON_Air
"Round hand" as demonstrated by penman George Bickham in this article makes me
feel so pedesterian, I'm compelled to burn all my diplomas and degrees.

~~~
Brendinooo
Bickham Script ([https://www.fonts.com/font/adobe/bickham-
script](https://www.fonts.com/font/adobe/bickham-script)) can help you feel a
little classier!

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vintermann
The funny thing is that Washington's handwriting is far more legible to me (a
European) than my own great-grandfather's - even though great-grandpa had an
extremely neat and regular handwriting.

I guess US handwriting styles won out at some point - or maybe it was the
German-inspired handwriting that lost out.

~~~
coldpie
Haha, really? I can't read almost a word of that. "Alteration also to such
thumps as you shaker coin a fit subjects for communication on the occasion."

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executesorder66
Personally I find the italic and cursive writing styles very illegible. They
are very stylish and nice to look at. But I have a hard time reading anything
written in a "stylish" font.

