Antique Trader

Writing with a flourish

Calligraphy has been with us as a form of communication for thousands of years, and has been used to record the history of civilization — and a talented engraver’s mastery of this style has earned him a position of prominence in its history.

George Bickham, along with other talented calligraphers he assembled during the eighteenth century, compiled one of the most important works in western calligraphy, The Universal Penman, a collection of more than 200 plates that showcased the talents of these writing masters of the day.

The term “English calligraphy” is broad, and the category covers all forms of handwriting that is found within all of Europe. Western calligraphy, as it is also known, includes several styles.

The earliest forms of calligraphy were found decorating the walls of the caves of the earth’s earliest human inhabitants. There was no alphabet. Symbols and figures drawn on the walls

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