Using Broad-Edged Nibs (1877, 1895)

May 4, 2008 — Here’s another nice picture from Friedrich Soennecken’s Methodical Text Book to Round Writing (pub. by Keuffel & Esser; New York & Chicago, 1877). It appears on page xxiv, and takes up half the page.

Perhaps it seems odd that Soennecken would publish such a complicated diagram, for such a simple and intuitive concept: keep the pen nib at a constant angle, in this case 45 degrees, and the letterforms will flow naturally from the pen. Even beginners will understand, very quickly, that the shape and angle of the pen nib determine the shape of the letters, and vice versa — since this is just common sense — but things quickly become more complicated as the hand moves across the page, and the angle, relative to the writer’s head, appears to change. So a model like this must be kept in mind at all times, at least while the novice is still learning the craft.

However, much simpler models were also used, like Charles Zaner’s elegant little diagram from 1895, published in his book, Zanerian Alphabets, page 5. On this page he noted: “Use Soennecken’s pens, usually No. 1 for first practice.” Also: “Keep the point of the pen at an angle of 45 degrees at all times, until further notified.” (Later in the book he described how other angles should be used, in different situations.)

Skillful calligraphers often vary the width of their strokes in other ways, as well. One technique for creating tapered strokes is to increase and decrease the downward pressure on the nib, so it spreads and contracts, respectively. The Soennecken broad nibs are flexible and snappy — perfect for this. That’s why the famous scribe Henry W. Ellsworth wrote (in 1897) that “very elastic, square-pointed steel pens may be substituted” for broad-edged quill pens (made from feathers). In this regard, these diagrams show only a basic principle of broad-pen calligraphy, and not the more refined techniques that are generally used.