While I was sleeping—a.k.a. immersed in grad school—my friend Brian Willson (not a Beach boy) released three new typefaces based on historical scripts.

Abigail Adams was inspired by the handwriting of the second First Lady and first Second Lady of the United States. For Botanical Scribe, Brian turned to the script of Belgian artist and botanist Pierre-Joseph Redouté, who, despite being court artist to Queen Marie Antoinette, kept his head throughout the French Revolution. Nineteenth century statesman, orator, and social reformer Frederick Douglass’s writings on John Brown’s raid at Harpers Ferry provided the inspiration for Douglass Pen.

View the gallery above (click on any image) to read what Brian has to say about these fonts. Visit the 3IP Type Foundry to find more of Brian’s historical penmanship fonts, including Old Man Eloquent, drawn from the handwriting of Abigail’s son, John Quincy Adams.