History of Handwriting Analysis (Graphology)
Handwriting Analysis, also known as Graphology, is not used as a primary piece of evidence, but it is helpful. The first recorded reference to handwriting analysis was Confucius's comment, "Beware of the man whose writing sways like a reed in the wind." In 1622, Italian physician Camillo Baldi published "A Method to Recognize the Nature and Quality of a Writer from His Letters." Baldi states, "It is obvious that all persons write in their own peculiar way . . . Characteristic forms . . . cannot be truly imitated by anybody else." This helps forensic science greatly, as each person's handwriting, like their fingerprint, is unique. In the centuries to follow, researchers linked graphology to science, finding that the handwriting originated in the bran and reflects characteristics of the writer's mental composition, even when writing with the non-dominant hand, mouth, or toes. The components of writing, such as pressure, speed, interruptions, variations in emphasis, the length and angle of upstrokes and downstrokes, and the upward or downward slope of writing on the paper, can be used to form a physiological profile of the writer. 12 Handwriting Characteristics
1. Line Quality- Do the letters flow or are they deliberately written?
2. Spacing of Words and Letters- What is the average space between words and letters?
3. Ratio of Height, Width, and Size of Letters- Are these consistent throughout document?
4. Lifting of the Writing Instrument- Is the instrument lifted to form a new letter/word, or does it stay on the page?
5. Connecting of Strokes- Are the capital and lower case letters conected?
6. Stroke From Beginning to End- Where does the individual letter begin and end?
7. Usual Letter Formation- Are the letters written in unique ways/ formats?
8. Pressure- What is the ratio of pressure to upward and downward strokes?
9. Slant- Do the letters slant to the left, right, or not at all?
10. Baseline Habits- Is the writing on, below, or above the line?
11. Fancy Writing Habits- Are there noticable curls or loops?
12. Placement of Diacritics- Where does the writer cross the t's or dot the i's?
Famous Forgery Case
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| Hitler's authentic signature |
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| Forged signature |
In 1983, German news magazine Stern published excerpts from the “diaries” of Adolf Hitler. The authenticity of the documents was debated greatly; claims were made that the handwriting did not match Hitler’s and the historical events did not match up. The publishers of Stern initially declared the entries valid, but were forced to reassess them due to massive debates on the subject. Upon inspection, the flourish used in the second part of the signature did not align with the authentic, the spirals were too large, and the diacratic on the first letter was not tilted the same way. Researchers found that the entries were forged as well as the letter used to compare them with. (Konrad Kujau had claimed that Hitler wrote him, granting him permission to publish the diary.) Konrad Kujau was tried, found guilty, and imprisoned.
Handwriting Analysis Template
To simulate forgeries, we wrote a sentence in both cursive and print. Our classmates would then try to copy it freehand and tracing. We used the twelve characteristics to tell how the forgeries differed. It turns out that the tracing was more accurate than the freehand, so it is my opinion that tracing is the better way to go.
1. The letters flowed in both
2. The freehand was more spaced out, and the traced was more compact, closer to the original3. The traced were consistent, but the freehand had a few larger letters
4. The freehand and traced were both connected in the right areas
5. Some are connected, some aren’t
6. This was mainly accurate in both
7. The freehand ‘d’ in ‘dog’ for the print is not formed the same way, and the traced ‘t’ in ‘the’ for the print is different as well
8. The freehand is much lighter than the traced, but the traced is closer to the original pressure
9. None of the letters slanted
10. The freehand was slightly crooked, as was the original, but the traced declined steeply
11. The freehand loops were too big, but the traced were accurate
12. The diacritics were all accurate aside from the traced ‘T’ in ‘The’ for cursive; the stem touches the horizontal stroke, and the original doesn’t and the ‘j’ in ‘jumps’ for the freehanded print; the dot was a little too high and off center
Check Forgery Activity
In class, we all wrote fake checks and ripped them up. We gave these along with our handwriting samples to the teacher to be mixed with others and handed out. The team receiving the checks was to figure out who wrote it based on the various samples. My partner and I decided who wrote the check based on the embellishments on the capital letters, and it turns out we were correct.