This elegant journal is inspired by a gold-tooled book binding from 17th-century France. Featuring gold-foil tracery, the sophisticated design and raised embossing bring classic attention to detail while the lightly lined pages will inspire personal reflection, sketching or quick notes. With gilded page edging and a black ribbon bookmark, this stylish notebook is hard to overlook.

In the time of George Washington and the Founding Fathers, superior penmanship was a sign of class and prestige. It was considered an essential skill for those pursuing law, business, or other professional endeavors. The finer the handwriting, the more refined the man, and the more likely he was in a position of authority and influence. Women were rarely taught how to write, and those who were were not educated to the same degree as men.