The making of a charming 1607 gift book by a Scottish woman calligrapher

And a close look at the references she used

Title page, drawn by Esther Inglis, 1600

As I was researching early women calligraphers I came across a name I hadn’t heard before — Esther Inglis (1571–1624, Scotland). She had been taught calligraphy by her mother Marie Presot. Of the 63 known manuscript books Esther made, some contained more than 40 different calligraphic scripts!

Self portrait of Esther Inglis 1600, source.

One book I wanted to focus on in particular was Octonaries upon the vanitie and inconstancie of the world writin and limd be me Esther Inglis., 1607. It’s a book of translated French poetry set amongst flowers with calligraphy done by Inglis. (I need to stress that this was all hand-done with a quill, ink and watercolour, not using a pointed steel nib or engraved!) It was a gift to her friend and landlord ‘M. William Jefferai’, which says a lot about the landlord. It’s a small book, around 10x15cm but in it you’ll find all sorts of Italic, secretary, gothic, and even scripts where a rope is passing through the letters or backwards mirror writing. Some of the script is as small as 1mm.

Her flowers were referenced from Florae Deae (Goddess of Flowers), a book with decorative plates intended for embroidery and other decorative arts, by Jean de Gourmont 1600. Compare the flower below with the flowers in the next plate on the bottom left.

Another comparison with Ingils' marigold painting next to her reference

Apart from being taught calligraphy from her mother, she would’ve looked to published copybooks on the subject too. Her below twisted rope script, among others, would’ve been ‘copied’ from A Booke Containing Divers Sortes of Hands (1571) by Jean de Beauchesne and John Baildon, the first copybook produced in England.

Inglis' 'lettre entrelacee' (Interlaced letter) with Beauchesne's

Inglis’ ‘L'ettre coupee’ (cut letter) with Beauchesne’s

I think her work is really delightful and I was glad to see there had been some recent (2024) exhibitions of her work in Scotland. Let me know what you think of this find!

Further reading

Buds, Bugs, and Birds in the Manuscripts of Esther Inglis by Georgianna Ziegler

Little Books, Big Gifts: The Artistry of Esther Inglis, exhibition.

Rewriting the Script: The works and words of Esther Inglis, exhibiton.

Esther Inglis 2024: Project Introduction.

Inglis, Esther, 1571-1624. Penmanship specimen book: manuscript, 1605 Feb. 20. MS Typ 428.1. Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

A New Yeeres guift for the right honorable and vertvovs lady, the Lady Arskene of Dirltovn of the hand writing and limming of mee, Esther Inglish, 1606

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