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Signatures of famous writers
Writers lived by the pen. Some signed with a modest initial, others with a flourish as famous as their books.
11 signatures
- 303–361 · ArtistsWang XizhiThe Sage of Calligraphy, known only through copies of his hand
- 1547–1616 · WritersMiguel de CervantesHe wrote his name “Cerbantes”, with a b, and closed it with a rúbrica
- 1564–1616 · WritersWilliam ShakespeareSix signatures survive, all on legal papers, no two spelled alike
- 1749–1832 · WritersJohann Wolfgang von GoetheLetters written by secretaries, signed “JWvGoethe” in his own hand
- 1775–1817 · WritersJane AustenA neat, small Regency hand, from an author whose novels bore no name
- 1809–1849 · WritersEdgar Allan PoeHe signed “Edgar A. Poe” and judged other writers by their handwriting
- 1812–1870 · WritersCharles DickensA confident name riding on one of the great flourishes of the 1800s
- 1821–1881 · WritersFyodor DostoevskyA novelist who practised calligraphy in the margins of his drafts
- 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
- 1854–1900 · WritersOscar WildeA large, open hand, and a signature that changed with his fortunes