When is the last time you wrote a letter, a note, or a postcard? If you are anything like me it has been quite a long time! It seems like almost all communication these days is by email,…quick,…and unfortunately, very impersonal! Years ago one of my fabric suppliers gave me this wonderful fountain pen; a “Mont Blanc Meisterstuck 149.” I really need to crank up this beauty and start writing again!

I’ve always been fascinated by the style of 19th century cursive writing. This was a note sent to my great Grandfather when he was working at the “World’s Columbian Exposition”, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, in 1893

These are letters to my great Grandfather in 1896 from San Francisco mayor, Adolph Sutro, in an old style cursive.

This is a a copy of the United States 1900 Census taken in San Francisco. My Great Grandmother, Mathilda Brown and her family are listed in handwritten cursive at the bottom. One can readily see how easy it would be to make mistakes in the census.

Well yes,…some people do write very nice, thoughtful notes. Bonnie and Russ traveled to Cannes, France, Thailand and Bali, with us in past years on Wesco Fabrics’ trips.

Antique writing accessories fascinate me. I found this old Art Nouveau style pen tray in an antique shop in New York city years ago.

I need to start using this glass pen again.

A 1912 bronze inkwell made by Heintz Art Metal, a necessary desk item in this era.

A Heintz Art Metal ink blotter.

My passion for glass evolved from hunting for antique bottles in college. We used to dig in old 19th century town dumps in California’s “Mother Lode”. I love these beautiful multi-sided glass inkwells.

My Mom found this inkwell during a stay in Germany.

These vintage Berber in inkwells called out to me while visiting Essaouira, Morocco. Traditional inkwells like these were often used in madrasas as well as by copyists and artists.

We discovered this Edo period “Suzuribako”, or calligraphy writing box, at a shrine sale years ago in Tokyo. The box was used by a merchant for writing. The bottom image shows the space where the suzuri stone would be placed for grinding ink. There is even a slot for dropping coins from a customer.

I’ve always been a bit of a scrounger, a trait which comes in handy when shopping. This is a shrine sale in Tokyo.

Writing this post has put in the mood for writing a few cards. Can you believe they rarely teach cursive anymore in school!

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.