Papers of Frank Taylor

Collection by calligrapher Frank Taylor of modern examples of handwriting in the Chancery Cursive or Italic style comprising:
Manuscript bound book 'The History and Development of the Chancery Cursive Script' [by Frank Taylor]; first four leaves of 'The Crusader's Key' by Eric Linklater transcribed as an illuminated manuscript by Frank Taylor [printed]; collection of 20 letters received from other calligraphers in Britain and America written in response to Taylor's request for handwriting samples; and miscellaneous calligraphy-related items including examples of other calligraphers' work and a photograph of Frank Taylor with Princess Margaret, 1974

This small collection of fine examples of the Italic hand represents the work of leading calligraphers mainly of the 1950s.

Frank Taylor was born on 16 January 1911 in Bradford, Yorkshire, where his father, William Taylor, worked as an insurance agent. The family was still living in Bradford in 1939, having moved from Fernbank Road to Silverhill Drive, but Frank later lived in Rawdon near Leeds. Frank Taylor specialized in portrait painting and during World War II spent all his spare time working with war artists, both lecturing on art to Army personnel and painting for them. He developed a fascination for the Roman Capital which led him, via Alfred Fairbank's 'Book of Scripts' to studying with Thomas Swindlehurst at the Leeds College of Art. He later taught calligraphy at the Swarthmore Centre for Adult Education and at Leeds College of Art whilst working as a lettering reproduction artist in a printing establishment. Many of his commissions went to American institutions; he exhibited a piece of his work at the prestigious '2000 Years of Calligrapy' held in three venue in America in 1965 and sold a copy of his transcript of 'The Crusader's Key' to Paul Getty . He also wrote a potted history of lettering 'A Scribe's Tale of Scriveners', and prepared Freedom scrolls for cities including Bradford, Leeds, Munchen-Gladbach and Skopje. His death has not yet been identified for certain although he could be the man of the same name who died in December 1982 in Keighley, West Yorkshire.

Source: largely taken from a copy excerpt from an exhibition catalogue '2000 Years of Calligraphy', 1965; 1911 census; 1939 Register; GRO records; newscutting within the collection

The items are arranged into three series: Works of Frank Taylor; Letters to Frank Taylor; and Calligraphy-related Papers

Open, access to all registered researchers.

Presented in May 2016

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Catalogued by A. George, in accordance with guidelines provided by ICA General International Standard Archival Description (ISAD(G)), second edition,Ottawa; and in-house cataloguing guidelines, June 2016

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Cadbury Research Library: Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Cadbury Research Library also hold: MS 472: Fishenden Collection of Modern Calligraphy; MS823 Beatrice Warde Collection