American Penmanship Sheet, Italian Capitals, Dated 1814

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American Penmanship Sheet, Italian Capitals, Dated 1814

This framed penmanship specimen presents an elegant early 19th century exercise in “Italian … Read more American Penmanship Sheet, Italian Capitals, Dated 1814

This framed penmanship specimen presents an elegant early 19th century exercise in “Italian Capitals,” the formal, engraved-style letterforms taught in period writing manuals and copybooks, here rendered in a confident, shaded hand with hairline upstrokes and broader, pressure-weighted downstrokes typical of quill or early steel-nib practice. The sheet is headed “Italian Capitals” and displays a full alphabet of capitals set out in rows, each letter carefully proportioned with long, sweeping entry strokes and restrained internal flourishes that emphasize legibility and classical balance rather than later Victorian exuberance; beneath, the name Minnie Minnie appears twice in a lighter, practice-style script, suggesting the page functioned both as an instructional model and as an ownership or classroom identification. The work is presented behind glass in a molded wooden frame with an oxidized gilt liner, the surface showing age-appropriate wear that complements the softly toned paper; the reverse bears a handwritten label reading “from Asahel Goodell’s writing book, dated 1814,” supporting an attribution to Asahel Goodell as the compiler or original owner of the writing book from which this leaf was taken.

Measurements: 10" x 8" See less