Old Fashioned D As Found In Old Log Books

[Starwalkertexasranger]

Hi all,

 

Was looking at some ships' log books on the interwebs and came across the ones depicted below. I noticed that both of them have a particular lower case d, which arches up and over the previous letters.

 

I quite like the effect it gives and was wondering whether it's a feature of a specific font, or frankly any other detail about this style of writing you guys might have.

 

Many thanks in advance!

 

 

 

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/archive/highlights/images/unity-log.jpg

[pen2paper]

It wasn't easy, at first, to pinpoint what you were describing. So I went to the day's of the week, which were likely to be all similar "d"ay, but all had lower case d's like typical d's today...

 

THen I saw the word Island@s with the counterclockwise loop you described.

It's very interesting.. you might ask this of our master calligrapher/illuminator's who've studied historic documents. *

There are a few here, though you may need to bump this topic to catch their attention in case they don't visit FPN for a period.. the thread will sink off the page otherwise.

 

*edit to include Ken Fraser is one such who visits and shares (greatly).

Edited January 9, 2018 by pen2paper

[ReadyFireAim]

Up and to the left would be one my least favorite directions to go with a flex pen.

 

Looks like a date of 1742 on the page.

 

I wonder if that type of d-flourish disappeared after the end of the quill.

(I did see someone here do something like that though)

 

EDIT..

Found it Post 2770

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/143711-what-does-your-handwriting-look-like/page-139

 

SidTheCat's writing has the same flourish.

Edited January 9, 2018 by Nail-Bender

[dcwaites]

This is an excerpt from Captain Cook's Endeavor journal --

 

 

Note that he does the same thing with his d's (I believe that this is his real journal, not one of the four copies made by others on the ship).

[AmandaW]

My d looks like that. I thought I it was a personal idiosyncracy developed from my long-term bad habits. Delighted to be in fine company.

[PaperDarts]

I've never seen that flourish before (or else not noticed it) but I quite like it! Is anyone aware of other letters on which that backward flourish is used, in historic or modern documents?

Thanks for showing us.

[WestLothian]

This shape of "d" was standard in 17th and 18th century English Roundhand. It comes from the Secretary hands as explained here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_hand

 

Also some forms shown here: http://www.scottishhandwriting.com/1hrS3.asp

 

 

Some nice 1796 examples are here: http://digital.nls.uk/travels-of-henrietta-liston/journals/archive/120754385

 

Edited January 16, 2018 by WestLothian

[sidthecat]

I plead guilty to that mannerism.

[HDoug]

I've been intrigued by this also, especially since it makes you write up and counter-clockwise which is completely "against the grain" for both a pointed and edged pen/quill. But I notice the form is very persistent even to the point of surviving the 20th Century italic restoration.

[Chrissy]

I quite like the look of it.

[PAKMAN]

Love seeing the log books and associated handwriting! The d flourish is interesting indeed!

[pararis]

In a 1953 episode of What's My Line? the actress Rosalind Russell uses this "d" when she signs in...

 

 

https://youtu.be/2OSP4hxSjoE?t=16m30s

[dms525]

Similar forms of the minuscule "d" are found in uncial, insular, some early italic scripts, gothic bâtard and (probably) other scripts. Most of the early forms were done in two strokes, however. Both strokes were downward.

 

David

[Zookie]

Here are some nice scripts, one of which has a nice backward d flourish.

 

http://luc.devroye.org/myfonts-spencerian/

[Arcadian]

Here are some nice scripts, one of which has a nice backward d flourish.

 

http://luc.devroye.org/myfonts-spencerian/

 

I really like the one called Californya! Very interesting "i" also...

[Starwalkertexasranger]

Seems this flourish goes quite a lot further back than I thought! (At least a mild version)

 

Found this letter from Octavius to Candidus at the British Museum, where the name "Candido" is clearly shown at the top of the script (second word), with both d's showing this form of flourish.

 

This was from around the Roman occupation of Britain apparently.

 

(Sorry for the shocking quality of the pictures...)

Edited February 12, 2018 by Starwalkertexasranger

[ReadyFireAim]

Picked up from the Flourish Forum (Inky Fingers)

[Torrilin]

I use this style of d if I’m doing a more formal italic. No clue why a righty might choose it, but it lets me pull most of the letter, and the push bits are ones I’ve drilled to death for a anyway. For more casual stuff I use a more regular d, because it’s more readable if anyone else is reading.

 

Basically I thought it was pretty, tried it, and found it was easier to get a nice look than with most other d variants.

[MercianScribe]

Yep, I concur that this goes back a long long way... I'd never really registered the Roman connection until 'Starwalkertexasranger' pointed it out above, but I think it's always been in my mind, and I studied Latin at school including looking at some old documents so I must've come across it before.

 

Uncial and half uncial insular styles have a d ascender that curves 'backwards', and some formal textura had a similar one too albeit not so curved, then through the various cursive blackletter hands like (bleep) and batarde (!), and then you find it in some classic chancery from the italic masters, and all the way through to various formal and informal C20th hands.

 

Tom Gourdie in his 'Italic Handwriting' book recommends doing the curly backward one at the end of words and the cursive italic with the right-'bannered' ascender for the middle of words or double letters. In some of the many delightful examples of cursive italic from his contributors at the start of the book, the adept italic writers of his day, there are good examples of both in action, and writers who mix them, including some very good ones who seem to follow his advice on positioning, and some who, on the other hand, very skillfully join the curled back ones to the next letter even in the middle of the word.

 

If I have time I'll put some examples up later (although I think I say this far too often, and probably 'owe' a dozen threads a few pics... )

[MercianScribe]

Btw, in my experience (I use it quite a lot at random in normal handwriting!), although it seems to suit a stub/cursive italic nib better, there's no problem doing it even with a vintage flex nib - you just don't put any pressure on it. The possibility of ending the ascender in one of those nice copperplate-y/English roundhand-y dots is always there also.