The Henning Collection contains the original documents from An Elegant Hand, plus other pieces that did not make it into the book. An Elegant Hand: The Golden Age of Penmanship and Calligraphy by William E. Henning (edited by Paul Melzer) captures the historical and artistic heritage of the artform. Henning’s father, William C. Henning was a penman and the editor of The American Penman.
The collection includes more than 1000 specimens from prestigious penmen key to our history, including Henning, Courtney, Madarasz, Palmer, Brown, Dennis and others. The collection includes letters and correspondence between penmen, photos from the Palmer Method Summer School, bird flourishes, alphabets, books, engrossed pieces and so much more.
IAMPETH acquired the original documents and high resolution scans in September of 2024. The physical collection will be available to see in person at the annual IAMPETH conference. The Henning Collection is a true treasure and we encourage you to use the directory as you navigate through the various specimens.