Handwriting History is a resource for the study of handwriting, penmanship, manuscripts, and other written forms across historical periods, from ancient writing to the present.

The site brings together examples, explanations, and contextual material drawn from paleography, manuscript studies, educational history, and the history of writing. It is intended to support a wide range of readers, including researchers, teachers, students, librarians, collectors, and others interested in understanding handwritten texts and the cultures that produced them.

Materials on this site include images of handwriting and manuscripts from public institutional collections as well as from my personal collection of American handwriting and penmanship. When possible, sources are identified and credited. Many items shown here are not owned by me and remain under the stewardship of the institutions that hold them.

In addition to images and samples, the site provides guidance on how to read historical handwriting, discusses different handwriting and penmanship styles, and offers resources useful for teaching and learning at multiple levels, including K–12 education.

Handwriting History reflects research and writing developed over many years. Some pages represent earlier stages of inquiry and are preserved as part of an ongoing effort to gather, document, and better understand handwritten material. The site is maintained as a reference resource rather than as a comprehensive or final account of the subject.

If you have questions about the site, or if you have manuscript material you believe may be relevant to this broader effort, you are welcome to get in touch.