The Handwriting Style of Abraham Lincoln

[Angela]

First of all, I'd like to second Roger - that letter to Roger's teacher is a fake.

@maharba: Second, whoever described Lincolns handwriting as "sweeping" probably has very little knowledge of analyzing writing styles.

I make daily use of the original documents published by The Library Of Congress and I must admit that it is usually the Lincoln letters that I do not need to look up the transcript for. It could be because so many of his words are so well known (doubt that, though - because the things I read are often not known very well).

I was once told that his handwriting is that of a man who takes time writing his thoughts, is very deliberate... and also was taught to save ink while writing.
Lincoln probably never shed this lecture he'd gotten as a young man who was too poor to waste ink.
He uses the pen as best as he can to write a word in one long sweep without getting it off the page in order to accomplish this.
I was told this by a gentleman who holds the one and only copy of a fake Lincoln signature that has ever been "confusing" to historians.

But I think this is best cleared up by hard copy evidence.
Here is a real letter to William H. Seward from April 1 in 1861 (I love April Fools Day - little early, but since it appears that we playing):