Also in some of the handwritten forms like this one:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ampersand-handwritin...
It's basically a 't' with the cross-bar curled over to form something like an 'e'.
I don't have any citations, but I'm pretty sure most of this evolution pre-dated the concept of "fonts," when all documents were handwritten manuscripts.
Also in some of the handwritten forms like this one:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ampersand-handwritin...
It's basically a 't' with the cross-bar curled over to form something like an 'e'.
I don't have any citations, but I'm pretty sure most of this evolution pre-dated the concept of "fonts," when all documents were handwritten manuscripts.