Main Content

The Working White House: Calligrapher

The Working White House: Calligrapher

Calligraphy pen, c. 2004. The tools of a White House calligrapher include 28 pen holders, eight brushes, and so many nibs (special points for the ends of the pens) that one cannot even begin to count them all. The brushes are used for large lettering; changing the nibs allows for a range of lettering styles.

Menus, 1996, 2001, 2006. Calligraphers often begin a project by making numerous pencil lines on the paper to center the text from top to bottom. They use tracing paper to practice, but then a steady hand must flow gracefully across the page to produce an impeccable work of calligraphic art.

Credit
Pen lent by The White House, menus lent by The White House Historical Association