Shaylor the Penman


'Manual of Penmanship,' 1887

'Manual of Penmanship,' 1887
Item 74150   info
Maine Historical Society

In the Manual of Penmanship, Shaylor writes about the importance of proper handwriting position, emphasizing posture, pen holding, and arm placement.

Two of the most common writing positions are "front" and "side."

The front position has the student sit facing directly toward the desk, feet square on the floor, body straight but inclined slightly foreword. The students use their left arm to hold the practice/copy book in position. The left arm is parallel to the lines in the book. The right arm is at a right angle to the left arm.

The side position has the student turn right, toward the desk. The same general arm and book angle relationships apply, except this time the right arm is placed parallel to the front edge of the desk. The right arm is not supposed be more than three or four inches away from the edge.

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