Sally Mangum '82: Calligrapher by Appointment to H.M. the Queen

Calligrapher Sally Mangum has a way with words—she makes them beautiful, and surrounds the letter forms with richly colored designs. And she does this for some of the most prestigious customers in the world, including the British Lord Chamberlain’s office.

As holder of a “royal warrant” for calligraphy, Sally displays the royal coat of arms on her business cards and letterhead. But she doesn’t advertise, as referrals bring her business.

“My work consists of a wide range of commissions including invitations, letterhead, diplomas, menus, and monograms for stationers and corporate and private clients,” she says. “I also take on illustration and heraldic commissions.” Those range from drawing pen-and-ink family crests to an illuminated scroll listing all the chaplains at the Tower of London since the fourteenth century.

Sally started fourteen years ago as a freelance calligrapher, after only one term of evening classes in the art form. Her interest in heraldry was sparked by a chance find at a flea market. “A few years ago while browsing through the book stalls at Portobello Market, I picked up a well-worn book on heraldry,” she recalls. “A mass of old letters and colorful sketches of shields and lions tumbled out from the pages and into my hands. In that very instant I knew it was a direction I wanted to follow.”

Since then she’s been studying techniques that date back to medieval times, grinding her own ink on a stone, stretching vellum (calfskin, used instead of paper), mixing special colors, and using gold leaf and gesso for traditional raised illumination.

In 2007 she was awarded a prestigious Queen Elizabeth Scholarship to study heraldic art at Reigate School of Art and Design, where she continues her studies.

Despite all the accolades, Sally doesn’t consider herself an expert. But she’s getting there, one extraordinary letter at a time.—Emily Harrison Weir

Learn More: To see Sally’s work, visit sallymangum.com. A transcript of our interview with Sally is below.

Alumnae Quarterly: How (and how long ago) did you get interested in calligraphy? And was this interest developed in collaboration with, or separately from your interests in heraldry and illumination?

Sally Mangum: I started up as freelance calligrapher fourteen years ago, with a great deal of enthusiasm but not much experience, having only taken a term of evening classes! Once I decided to leave my art publishing job, I threw myself full speed ahead. The next day I had business cards printed (typeset, as I couldn’t yet do the calligraphy!) I enrolled on a part-time calligraphy course and also applied for a business start-up grant from my local council. For that I had to submit a properly constructed business plan after attending seminars on accounting, marketing, and strategy. I sent out sample packs to eight potential clients, and within a couple months, I had work from all. Those who are still in business are clients today. Three months after starting up, I was off and running. I’ve never advertised and all my work since then has come to me by referral or word of mouth.

My daughter was born twelve months after setting up, my son two years later, but as I was based at home I continued working around them, albeit a bit distracted! I won’t say it was easy. I had to give up classes and was self taught after that, learning through an awful lot of trial and error.

My work today consists of a wide range of commissions including invitations, letterhead, diplomas, menus and monograms for stationers, corporate, and private clients. I also take on illustration and, more recently, heraldic commissions.

Alumnae Quarterly: You were awarded a “royal warrant” for calligraphy in 2006. What exactly does this mean for you personally and professionally? I have seen what I think are royal warrants on British products, saying something like “official purveyor of tea to HRH Queen Elizabeth II.” Is that what they are?

Sally Mangum: In 2006, I received a royal warrant of appointment to the Queen. This came about when one of my clients passed my name to the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, who were at the time looking for a calligrapher to write out the royal trade warrants.
The Lord Chamberlain's Office is responsible for dealing with royal warrants, which are granted to companies whose goods or services are used by the royal household.

The granting of royal warrants is just one of many things the Lord Chamberlain's Office oversees. It’s responsible for some of the most ancient traditions connected with the monarchy—including the royal body guards, the crown jewels, even the queen's ownership of swans on a stretch of the River Thames. It organises royal ceremonial events, state visits, investitures, garden parties, the state opening of Parliament, the annual ceremony of the garter, Royal weddings and funerals.
After five years of work for the Lord Chamberlain’s office, I was granted a royal warrant of appointment … which of course, I had to write myself!

Royal warrants of appointment are granted as a personal mark of recognition that tradesmen are regular suppliers of goods or services to the queen, the duke of Edinburgh, the prince of Wales, or their households.

To apply for a royal warrant of appointment, one has to have worked steadily for the royal household for at least five years. If granted, it sanctions the right to display the royal arms with legend (in my example: “By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen, Calligrapher, Sally Mangum, London”), and may be cancelled at any time. It is a very great honour, especially as there are only around 850 royal warrant holders at any given time.

Alumnae Quarterly: with all this talk of royal warrants, I have to ask: have you ever met the queen?

Sally Mangum: No, I haven’t met the queen personally, but have attended one of the queen’s garden parties at Buckingham Palace.

Alumnae Quarterly: How did you get interested in heraldry?

Sally Mangum: A few years ago while browsing through the book stalls at Portobello Market, I picked up a well-worn book on heraldry. A mass of old letters and colourful sketches of shields and lions tumbled out from the pages and into my hands. In that very instant, I knew it was a direction I wanted to follow!

I found only one place to study heraldic art in the UK: a part-time course at Reigate School of Art and Design under the tutelage of eminent heraldic artist, calligrapher, and master gilder Gerald Mynott. It is unique in the country in the field of heraldic art and manuscript illumination. Curiously enough, I had nearly enrolled on the same course twenty years before—and would have had the same tutor! Unfortunately, I changed my mind!

Alumnae Quarterly: What sorts of projects do you do, and for whom?

Sally Mangum: My very first heraldic commission was for the Chapel St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London. The resident chaplain, Paul Abram, had researched and compiled information about chaplains at the Tower dating back to the fourteenth century. He asked me do a calligraphy scroll listing the chaplains. However, it seemed like an ideal project to work on for my course, so I suggested a larger-scale piece on vellum, incorporating heraldry and gilding. It became the focal point for my first year at Reigate, and I learned the skills as I went along.
My latest commission was for Downside Abbey, near the historic city of Bath, copying out in calligraphy a letter on behalf of the Pope, commemorating the school’s 400th anniversary. I produced a vellum panel with calligraphy, heraldic arms ,and gilding that was strong inspired by illuminated Renaissance manuscripts from the Vatican Library.

I’m also frequently commissioned to produce pen and ink drawn crests for engraved letterhead and bookplates.
Historically, heraldic art has always had a strong link with calligraphy and illumination.

Alumnae Quarterly: What about the physical process of doing the artwork? Do you use specially prepared colors or standard ones? Do you use gold leaf as in medieval illuminations? Do you work on paper or vellum or something else?
Sally Mangum: I use dip pens for calligraphy and usually write with stick ink I’ve ground myself on an ink stone, or gouache for writing in colour. On the course I’ve learned to stretch vellum (calf skin), mix special tinctures (colours) for heraldry, and traditional raised gilding—using gold leaf and gesso that I make myself, from a recipe similar to that of monks in the Middle Ages! On the course, we are strongly encouraged to learn the traditional methods.

Alumnae Quarterly: I understand that you are using a scholarship from the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust to further your skills in illumination, heraldic art, and calligraphy. There can’t be many people who know more about these than you already do—what are you learning?

Sally Mangum: In the spring of 2007, the year I was working on the Tower of London project, I was awarded a prestigious Queen Elizabeth Scholarship for a further year’s study of heraldic art.

QEST scholarships are open to craftsmen and women working in the UK, of all ages, to develop their skills in both modern and traditional crafts. There were seven awards granted that spring including a saddle maker, wood carver, textile designer, and a hedge layer. The scholarship enabled me to study heraldic art for a further year.

That spring I also received a prize for heraldic art and design at the Worshipful Company of Painter Stainers, one of the City of London’s oldest guilds.

Alumnae Quarterly: At MHC, you majored in art history; what stays with you as most useful or inspirational from your studies here?
Sally Mangum: At Mount Holyoke, I chose to major in art history. It was probably not my wisest decision, as I may have been better suited to doing the art rather than looking at it … but I persevered. Professor John Varriano was a real source of inspiration. Graduation loomed, and I couldn’t find my direction. His suggestion that I go to London for a year’s course with Christie’s quite simply changed the course of my life. Art sales and auctioneering didn’t stick, but London did. I ended up working for an art publisher, which led to a bookbinding course and eventually to calligraphy.

Alumnae Quarterly: What comes next, after your current studies?
Sally Mangum: I’m continuing my studies in heraldic art at Reigate in the hope of increasing my skills to enable a wider range of commissions. This year I’m aiming to focus on drawing and painting techniques, and hopefully get to grips with traditional raised gilding, which I find particularly challenging.

I don’t consider myself an expert at what I do! I’m continually learning and feel like I have an awfully long way to go.
Trying to combine full-time work with study and raising two children on my own means some days get a bit crazy. But for the most part I love what I do. Every day brings projects different, challenging, and engaging. I came to calligraphy quite late, heraldic art even later. If I’d enrolled on the course at Reigate twenty years ago, my career might have advanced earlier and I’d most likely be much further ahead now. In some ways I feel like I took a lot of wrong turns in getting here. But I wouldn’t change any of them. They’ve lead me—in a wonderful, meandering way—to an interesting career … and two great kids!

Read More about Sally’s art at:
www.sallymangum.com
www.royalwarrant.org
www.qest.org.uk