Name/Title
Pin, AwardEntry/Object ID
2016.099.0005Description
Round 7/8" diameter pin; blue around outer edge, in white lettering: "Palmer Method"; in center: on a cream colored background is a hand holding a pen w/nib for dipping into an inkwell; on the back there is a straight shaft pin to attach to lapel; it is rusty inside the back and slightly discolored on the front
The Palmer Method of penmanship instruction was developed and promoted by Austin Palmer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was largely created as a simplified style of the "Spencerian Method" which had been the major standardized system of handwriting since the 1840's. The Palmer Method soon became the most popular handwriting system in the United States. The method developed around 1888 and was introduced in his 1894 book "Palmer's Guide to Business Writing". In spite of opposition from the major publishers the textbook enjoyed great success: in 1912 one million copies were sold throughout the country. The method won awards, including the Gold Medal at the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, in 1915, and the Gold Medal at the Sesquicentennial Exposition in Phildelphia in 1926. Proponents of the Palmer Method emphasized its plainness and speed, that it was much faster than the laborious Spencerian Method, and allowed the writer to effectively compete with the typewriter. To educators, the method's advocates emphasized regimentation and the method would thus be useful in schools to increase discipline and character and could "even reform delinquents". The Palmer Method began to fall out of popularity in the 1950's and was eventually supplanted by the Zaner-Bloser method which sought to teach children manuscript before teaching them cursive in order to provide them with a means of written expression as soon as possible, and thus develop writing skills. The D'Nealian method, introduced in 1978, sought to address problems raised by the Zaner-Bloser method, returning to a more cursive style. The Palmer company stopped publishing in the 1980's.Collection
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