The Handwriting Style of Abraham Lincoln

[maharba]

In looking over examples of the handwriting of Abraham Lincoln, it seems almost as if he could not write literately, at all. I wonder when he first began to try to write in longhand (which used to be called 'cursive')? He was born in 1809, so maybe that would have been about 1825? Lincoln appears to finally settled on signing with an "A.Lincoln". Then after he got into the White House, you more often will see it as
Abraham Lincoln. That would be 1861-1865. I see some biographers have described his penmanship as sweeping and elegant. In fact, Abraham Lincoln had terrible penmanship. It was jerky, broken, often appearing cramped. I know that several of his personal secretaries supposedly were in the habit of writing out letters and even
signatures 'in the style of Lincoln', and that these have confused historians. I wonder if the near total absence of formal education is to blame for the poor handwriting ability of Abraham Lincoln.

[L Verge]

Ah, Mr. Maharba, I was wondering when you would again post some criticisms of Mr. Lincoln...

First, where do you live because I never heard the word "cursive" until about 15 years ago when my grandson announced that he was learning "cursive." It had been plain old "longhand" my entire life. Of course, now, one does not need to use either word because your computer will do the talking for you from now on.

I looked at some online sources that analyze handwriting. One commented under a Lincoln sample: "Looking at Abraham Lincoln's handwriting, one sees a natural intelligence, mental agility, and ambition of a highly active, progressive leader. Willingness to take risks and excellent delegating skills are visible among the quietness and peace in his steady hand."

I guess that "the near total absence of formal education" and "poor handwriting ability" doesn't make much difference when you are dealing with a born leader.

The link that I am now going to recommend was a learning experience to me because it quoted a letter that Lincoln supposedly sent to one of his son's (Robert?) teachers. I have never even heard it mentioned before, so I hope one of our Lincoln experts will chime in and say that it is real. It is beautifully written, and as a used history teacher, I think it should be posted on every teacher's desk.

http://www.theworldofhandwriting.com/fam...g-analysis

And last, but not least, Mr. Maharba, please scan some of your handwriting and post it online here so that we can see how it compares to Mr. Lincoln's. Thanks.

[RJNorton]

(02-24-2016 03:21 PM)L Verge Wrote:  The link that I am now going to recommend was a learning experience to me because it quoted a letter that Lincoln supposedly sent to one of his son's (Robert?) teachers. I have never even heard it mentioned before, so I hope one of our Lincoln experts will chime in and say that it is real. It is beautifully written, and as a used history teacher, I think it should be posted on every teacher's desk.

http://www.theworldofhandwriting.com/fam...g-analysis

Laurie, this is a common error. The letter is bogus (regarding Lincoln). However, in a few countries, especially India, the letter is (mistakenly) taught in some schools as being written by Lincoln. It is indeed a nice letter, but Abraham Lincoln did not write it.

Marharba, I do not know if you would be interested, but one of our forum members, Steve Woolf, has created an Abraham Lincoln handwriting font that can be downloaded and installed on your computer for emails, etc. Steve's Lincoln font is here.

[L Verge]

(02-24-2016 03:29 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(02-24-2016 03:21 PM)L Verge Wrote:  The link that I am now going to recommend was a learning experience to me because it quoted a letter that Lincoln supposedly sent to one of his son's (Robert?) teachers. I have never even heard it mentioned before, so I hope one of our Lincoln experts will chime in and say that it is real. It is beautifully written, and as a used history teacher, I think it should be posted on every teacher's desk.

http://www.theworldofhandwriting.com/fam...g-analysis

Laurie, this is a common error. The letter is bogus (regarding Lincoln). However, in a few countries, especially India, the letter is (mistakenly) taught in some schools as being written by Lincoln. It is indeed a nice letter, but Abraham Lincoln did not write it.

Marharba, I do not know if you would be interested, but one of our forum members, Steve Woolf, has created an Abraham Lincoln handwriting font that could be downloaded and installed on your computer for emails, etc. Steve's Lincoln font is here.

Well, fudge! I would be happy to give Mr. Lincoln the honor of writing this letter. However, I will gladly send that honor to the real author (if known) because - to me - its concepts are some of the valuable tools that should be used in guiding anyone through life.

[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):

[L Verge]

From our research librarian here at Surratt House:

I did a brief google search to see if I could come up with an alternate author. The author appears to be unknown, and I did find this info on the provenance of the article:

As far as I can gather, the letter’s first recorded appearance was in the web site of the National Council for Teachers Education in New Delhi, India. This was reported by Thomas E. Schwartz in a bylined article, “Lincoln Never Said That,” for the Winter 2001 issue of For the People, the newsletter of the Abraham Lincoln Association. That web site no longer carries the letter, but its appearance there must have conferred legitimacy to it in education circles, for two years later, on January 22, 2003, The Tribune of India reported that a university vice-chancellor in the Punjab region, in a circular to teachers and students, had quoted extensively from the letter to justify a controversial amendment of a language usage rule.

---

I promise that this is the last of this discussion from me:

Re: A Father’s Letter to His Son’s Teacher
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2009, 08:32:59 PM »

________________________________________
Someday I hope we will all learn that the source is of far less import than content,
that substance is far more valuable than style, and that truth is a universal virtue
to be endeared, worshiped, and protected.

Bravo to whomever penned these words, they will be as valuable in 10,000 years as
they are at this moment.

My kind of person who appreciates the message more than the writer...

[Eva Elisabeth]

Re.: "I see some biographers have described his penmanship as sweeping and elegant. In fact, Abraham Lincoln had terrible penmanship."

In FACT? Since when has style anything to do with facts?
That you don't like Lincoln's penmanship is your very personal taste. (You haven't seen mine yet, I suppose your judgement would be devastating.) I hope you will share a sample of your handwriting for us to get insight in your guidance value and education.

To me, it is certainly a typical male's style, very mature, a personality handwriting, shaped from life and many, many lenghty hours and words of (almost) lifelong practice. And the sweepingness suggests generosity and an open mind. I like it and I do find Abraham Lincoln's handwriting elegant while not kitschy.

As for concluding from non-calligraphic handwriting style on absence of formal education, what do you think is this writer's educational background? (Everyone is welcome to guess.)
   

[Susan Higginbotham]

Is that Einstein's theory of relativity, or do I need more caffeine before guessing anything?

(I grew up calling longhand "cursive" too. Whatever I called it, I was terrible at it, though I was a good student in other respects. Once I began to do most of my writing on typewriters and then computers, my handwriting deteriorated even further, and now if I have to use a pen and paper at all, I print as otherwise no one including me would be able to read the finished product.)

[Eva Elisabeth]

Brilliant, Susan, that is correct - and here is his CV:
http://www.alberteinstein.info/finding_aid.html

Of course, he could just have cut everything down to a very neat and tidy E = m*c2...

[Eva Elisabeth]

The point I was trying to make is that I cannot determine Lincoln's fewer formal education from comparing the two handwritings. What do you (all) think?

[RJNorton]

As far as is known this is probably the earliest example of Lincoln's handwriting. His stepmother, Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln, preserved it and gave it to William Herndon. I am not sure of the date, but I think c.1823-1826 would probably be the proper timeframe.

IMO the lack of formal education does not show in the handwriting, but rather in a few capitalization errors. Examples: "he" should be capitalized and "When" should not.

[L Verge]

If handwriting quality should be judged on the amount of formal education, why can't we read what doctors, professors, scientists, and other highly educated professionals write?

[Eva Elisabeth]

(02-25-2016 05:22 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  As far as is known this is probably the earliest example of Lincoln's handwriting. His stepmother, Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln, preserved it and gave it to William Herndon. I am not sure of the date, but I think c.1823-1826 would probably be the proper timeframe.

In M. Burlingame's "A Life", the poem is dated [1824-1826].

[ELCore]

The Bliss Copy of the Gettysburg Address is an autograph. (Source.)

[Eva Elisabeth]

Some more on Lincoln and spelling from M. Burlingame's "A Life":

"In school Lincoln was especially adept at spelling, a subject that interested him throughout life. He constantly sought to improve his skills in that department. At the White House in 1862, as he sat in a roomful of visitors 'writing a note on a card held on his knee,' he 'sung out ‘How d’ye spell missill’ – meaning ‘missile’ – ‘I don’t know how to spell it.' The next day a government official who was present asked, 'Is there another man in this whole Union who, being President, would have done that? It shows his perfect honesty and simplicity, & that he is truly a great man – for he is so, and the more I see of him the more I am convinced of the fact.'
At a reception in February 1865, Lincoln told Supreme Court Justice David Davis, 'I never knew until the other day how to spell the word ‘maintenance.’ I always thought it was ‘m-a-i-n, main, t-a-i-n, tain, a-n-c-e, ance – maintainance,’ but I find that it is ‘m-a-i-n, main, t-e, te, n-a-n-c-e, nance – maintenance.' (An observer called this scene 'a spectacle! The President of a great nation at a formal reception, surrounded by many eminent people, statesman, ministers, scholars, critics and ultrafashionable people – by all sorts – who honestly and unconcernedly, in the most unconventional way, speaks before all, as it were, of a personal thing illustrative of his own deficiency.') In 1864, Lincoln again confessed his weakness as a speller: 'When I write an official letter I want to be sure it is correct, and I find I am sometimes puzzled to know how to spell the most common word. . . .I found, about twenty years ago, that I had been spelling one word wrong all my life up to that time. . . . It is very. I used always to spell it with two r’s – v-e-r-r-y. And then there was another word which I found I had been spelling wrong until I came here to the White House. . . It is opportunity. I had always spelled it, op-per-tu-ni-ty.' Similarly, one day during the Civil War, Lincoln asked three young men, 'when do you use a semicolon?' Upon receiving an answer, the president replied: 'I never use it much, but when I am in doubt what to use, I generally employ the ‘little fellow.'' (He told the journalist Noah Brooks, 'With educated people, I suppose, punctuation is a matter of rule; with me it is a matter of feeling. But I must say that I have a great respect for the semicolon; it’s a very useful little chap.') These episodes lend credence to Joshua Speed’s assertion that Lincoln 'was never ashamed . . . to admit his ignorance upon any subject, or the meaning of any word no matter how ridiculous it might make him appear.' Leonard Swett, his close friend on the Illinois legal circuit, was impressed by Lincoln’s diligence. 'He is the only man I have ever
known,' said Swett, 'who bridged back from middle age to youth and learned to spell well.'"

As for the semicolon and punctuation, his thoroughly educated wife was certainly no helpful advisor either...