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Famous signatures
How presidents, monarchs, writers, composers, artists and scientists signed their names, what makes each signature distinctive, and how to borrow a little of its style for your own.
56 signatures
- 303–361 · ArtistsWang XizhiThe Sage of Calligraphy, known only through copies of his hand
- 748–814 · RulersCharlemagneThe KAROLVS monogram, completed with a single stroke
- 1451–1506 · LeadersChristopher Columbus“Xpo FERENS” under a pyramid of letters no one has fully decoded
- 1452–1519 · ArtistsLeonardo da VinciHardly any signed works, but thousands of pages of mirror writing
- 1471–1528 · ArtistsAlbrecht DürerThe AD monogram: an artist’s signature that worked like a trademark
- 1475–1564 · ArtistsMichelangeloOne signed work in a long life: his name carved across the Pietà
- 1491–1547 · RulersHenry VIII“Henry R”, and the stamp that signed for him
- 1533–1603 · RulersQueen Elizabeth I“Elizabeth R”, wrapped in loops and flourishes
- 1543–1616 · RulersTokugawa IeyasuA kaō, the stylized brush mark Japanese warriors signed with
- 1547–1616 · WritersMiguel de CervantesHe wrote his name “Cerbantes”, with a b, and closed it with a rúbrica
- 1564–1642 · ScientistsGalileo GalileiA scientist’s signature, a forced abjuration and a famous forgery
- 1564–1616 · WritersWilliam ShakespeareSix signatures survive, all on legal papers, no two spelled alike
- 1606–1669 · ArtistsRembrandtFrom the RHL monogram to “Rembrandt f.”: a first name as a brand
- 1632–1675 · ArtistsJohannes VermeerIVMeer: initials and surname woven into a single ligature
- 1638–1715 · RulersLouis XIVA king who signed “Louis”, and a secretary who could write it for him
- 1643–1727 · ScientistsIsaac NewtonIs. Newton: a short, careful signature from a very busy pen
- 1672–1725 · RulersPeter the Great“Петръ”, from the tsar who redrew the Russian alphabet
- 1685–1759 · ComposersGeorge Frideric HandelA German name remade in English, and a composer who dated his scores
- 1685–1750 · ComposersJohann Sebastian BachJoh. Seb. Bach: a prayer at the top of a score, praise at the end
- 1706–1790 · FoundersBenjamin Franklin“B. Franklin” and a looping paraph, on four founding documents
- 1729–1796 · RulersCatherine the Great“Екатерина”, the Russian name a German princess signed for 34 years
- 1732–1799 · PresidentsGeorge WashingtonThe “Go:” contraction and the first name on the Constitution
- 1735–1826 · PresidentsJohn AdamsA plain full-name signature on the Declaration and the Treaty of Paris
- 1737–1793 · FoundersJohn HancockThe largest name on the Declaration, and a word for any signature
- 1743–1826 · PresidentsThomas Jefferson“Th: Jefferson”, a compact signature from the Declaration’s author
- 1749–1832 · WritersJohann Wolfgang von GoetheLetters written by secretaries, signed “JWvGoethe” in his own hand
- 1755–1804 · FoundersAlexander Hamilton“A Hamilton”, and New York’s only signature on the Constitution
- 1756–1791 · ComposersWolfgang Amadeus MozartHe signed “Wolfgang Amadè Mozart”, and used Amadeus mostly as a joke
- 1760–1849 · ArtistsKatsushika HokusaiThirty-odd art names, ending as the “old man mad about painting”
- 1769–1821 · RulersNapoleon BonaparteFrom “Buonaparte” to a scrawled “Np”: a signature that kept changing
- 1770–1827 · ComposersLudwig van BeethovenA fast, forceful hand from a composer who fought his own handwriting
- 1775–1817 · WritersJane AustenA neat, small Regency hand, from an author whose novels bore no name
- 1783–1830 · LeadersSimón Bolívar“Bolívar” and a sweeping rúbrica: the Liberator’s signature
- 1809–1865 · PresidentsAbraham Lincoln“A. Lincoln” most days, his full name on the Emancipation Proclamation
- 1809–1882 · ScientistsCharles DarwinCh. Darwin: a hurried hand behind thousands of letters and notebooks
- 1809–1849 · WritersEdgar Allan PoeHe signed “Edgar A. Poe” and judged other writers by their handwriting
- 1810–1849 · ComposersFrédéric ChopinF. Chopin: one initial that served both his Polish and French names
- 1812–1870 · WritersCharles DickensA confident name riding on one of the great flourishes of the 1800s
- 1815–1852 · ScientistsAda LovelaceA.A.L.: three initials under the first published computer program
- 1818–1895 · LeadersFrederick DouglassA signature learned in secret, under a name he chose himself
- 1819–1901 · RulersQueen Victoria“Victoria R”, then “Victoria R I” as Empress of India
- 1820–1910 · ScientistsFlorence NightingaleF. Nightingale: a reformer who ran campaigns by letter
- 1820–1906 · LeadersSusan B. AnthonyA campaigner whose own signature sat on petition after petition
- 1821–1881 · WritersFyodor DostoevskyA novelist who practised calligraphy in the margins of his drafts
- 1822–1913 · LeadersHarriet TubmanShe could not write, so her documents carry her mark
- 1822–1895 · ScientistsLouis PasteurL. Pasteur: a public signature and very private notebooks
- 1822–1885 · PresidentsUlysses S. Grant“U. S. Grant”, a signature that began with a clerical error
- 1828–1910 · WritersLeo TolstoyA fast, crowded Russian hand that his family copied out page by page
- 1835–1910 · WritersMark TwainTwo signatures: Mark Twain for readers, S. L. Clemens for business
- 1840–1926 · ArtistsClaude MonetA painted signature that borrows its colour from the picture
- 1840–1893 · ComposersPyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyOne signature in Cyrillic, many spellings on Western title pages
- 1853–1890 · ArtistsVincent van GoghJust “Vincent”, because people in France could not say Van Gogh
- 1854–1900 · WritersOscar WildeA large, open hand, and a signature that changed with his fortunes
- 1858–1919 · PresidentsTheodore RooseveltAlways “Theodore Roosevelt”, never “Teddy”
- 1866–1925 · LeadersSun Yat-sen孫文 in Chinese, “Sun Yat Sen” in English: one man, two signatures
- 1867–1934 · ScientistsMarie CurieM. Curie: a Polish name, a French signature and radioactive notebooks
What makes a signature famous
Some signatures are famous because of the document they sit on: the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, a royal charter. Others because the hand itself is unforgettable: an enormous capital, a flourish that loops back under the name, a monogram used instead of a name, or a scrawl that changed as its owner rose to power.
Each page tells what is documented about how that person signed, what makes the signature recognisable, and how to give your own signature a similar feel: the slant, the capitals, the underline, the rhythm.
Renderings, not reproductions
The signatures you see on these pages are renderings made with modern handwriting fonts, inspired by the originals and clearly labelled as such. They are not the real signatures. Every page links to archives, libraries and museums where the originals can be seen.
Admire the style, borrow the feel, and keep your own signature yours: copying another person’s signature to sign as them is forgery.
Questions and answers
Are these the real signatures?
No. Each page shows a rendering in a modern handwriting font, inspired by the original and labelled as such. Links on every page lead to the originals in archives, libraries and museums.
Why only historical figures?
Everyone here died long ago, most of them centuries ago. Their signatures are part of the historical record, and we can write about them without speaking for anyone living or for an estate.
Can I make my signature look like a famous one?
You can borrow a style: a slant, a large capital, an underline, a paraph. Each page suggests a font and settings to try in the signature generator. Your signature should still be your own name in your own hand.