“Real Pen Work 1881″This image of Christ had been floating around the Internet for awhile. Apparently, it’s “all done with a single stroke of the pen”. It is actually one of many drawings in a penmanship instructional text called “Real Pen Work 1881″.

Originally sold for one dollar, Real Pen Work boasts that it is “The greatest means ever known for learning to write in an elegant hand.”

Hudson Maxim, an inventor and entrepreneur, and Alden Knowles, and expert penman, set out by trial and error to sell their ink and instructions for elegant writing styles and ornamental pen work. The fascinating history of their friendship and business relationship is recorded in the foreword of this book.

Real Pen Work 1881 was designed to be self-taught, and it states that by following the simple instructions, even those for whom handwriting does not come natural should be able to write in a beautiful hand in an incredibly short time. In fact, it says, “There is no more doubt about it than that the sun rises and sets.”

Beginning with “How to Sit at the Desk” and “How to Hold the Pen,” the authors stress the importance of correct posture. Following are scales for slants, analysis of capital and small letters, sample alphabets, and Spencerian scripts. The authors also share the “secret” of the tracing process. There are rich examples of flourished birds and ornamental pen-work throughout.

More drawings and actual scans from the book itself can be found here:
http://www.iampeth.com/books/real_penwork/real_pen_work_index.html