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 Although best known for his printing and his typographic expertise, Mac McGrew also dabbled in calligraphy. Here is just one small example of his calligraphic talents. This children’s dinnertime prayer was handlettered onto a circular mirror by Mac McGrew (in a modified Zapf Chancery). The mirror graced our dining room wall for many years. Although there was undoubtedly considerable advance planning, when the time came to do the lettering, the mirror was laid down on the dining room table, and the lettering was done freehand with a narrow paintbrush. As a youngster, I remember watching with some amazement as my Dad handpainted this inscription. No fancy guides, no masking, no special tools, no redos. As a child, I was amazed at his skill in doing this. As an adult fifty years later, I still am.
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The actual lettering on the mirror is noticeably smoother and a lot more crisp than is shown here, because
the photograph of the mirror picked up both the primary image on the face of the mirror
and a secondary (reflected) image from the back of the mirror.
These pictures could not be taken “straight-on” into the mirror;
they were shot at an angle and “stretched” back into a circular image.
Because of this,
that second image merged with the primary image and makes the lettering look a bit chunky in all of these photos.