We The People
K-Type · Keith Bates
A calligraphic blackletter extrapolated from Jacob Shallus's 1787 handwriting on the US Constitution Preamble, drawing on Bickham's 18th-century penmanship copy-books.
About
The typeface reproduces the distinctive backslanted style of the 'We the People' heading, which departs from standard German Text and Square Text models with an unconventional angle and wavy ascenders on t, h and l. K-Type extends those flourishes to b, f and k, and includes OpenType alternates such as a Bickham-style W, flourished letters and ornamental elements. Two upright variants are also included in the licensed download for designers who find the backslant awkward in layout.
Classification
A calligraphic blackletter derived from German Text and Square Text traditions, specifically extrapolated from the handwritten US Constitution Preamble. The backslanted pen letterforms trace directly to 18th-century penmanship exemplars in Bickham's The Universal Penman.