The Ampersand

The Ampersand is - a logogram representing the word and - a blog dedicated entirely to finding ampersands wherever they might be. In company logos, in street art, in food, you name it if it has an ampersand they are on the hunt for it. An absolutely wonderful idea I must say. The ampersand is a very aesthetically pleasing character.

{photos & logo via The Ampersand}

In addition to being extremely entertaining the blog got me thinking about the origin of the character. As it happens, the word "and" in latin translates simply to "et". The word ampersand is derived from the phrase and per se and, which according to the fine people at adobe means "and [the symbol which] by itself [means] and", which is itself derived from the latin "et per se et". So where exactly did the symbol we all no so well come from? This artist's interpretation shows rather clearly how the two characters - might - have merged into one.
Thank you Ampersand for, well, sparking my interest in the ampersand.

{image by. Gian Luca Ruggero via wikipedia}