Art historians have long suspected that although Leonardo da Vinci primarily used his left hand, he was in fact ambidextrous, meaning that he could write, draw and paint with both hands. Now, researchers at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery report that they have found evidence to prove this theory, based on historic handwriting analysis. The research team… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Historical Handwriting
Were These Two Letters Authored by George Washington?
If you’ve been following my blog, you may remember that I was once tasked with attempting to identify the author of an anonymous letter that sparked a major scandal involving two high-profile American political figures during the 19th century. These historical investigations are always interesting, and they occasionally involve some very well-known individuals. Several years… Read more »
Who Authored the Letter That Sparked a 19th-Century American Scandal?
On February 27, 1859 Philip Barton Key sat on a bench outside the home of his mistress Teresa Sickles and signaled his arrival. Key was the son of famed author Francis Scott Key, and a lawyer who served as U.S Attorney for the District of Columbia. He also had a reputation for rakish behavior and… Read more »
Documented Evidence: The Role of Document Examination in the Lindbergh Baby Case
Back in September 1934, a man named Richard Hauptmann was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for killing Charles Lindbergh Jr., the oldest son of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne. The following January, Hauptmann was put on trial for the murder of the young boy, and after a monthlong trial, he was… Read more »
Historical Handwriting and Its Impact in Colonial Times
You may not think about it as you scribble your grocery list on a notepad, but those letters you’re using weren’t always the way people communicated. Ancient civilizations like the Egyptians used hieroglyphics, messages with a mixture of alphabetic and representational images to convey messages. Even as recently as Colonial times in America, when writing… Read more »