John Hancock signature
A sweeping opening stroke reaches below the name.
What does John Hancock’s signature look like?
The underline takes up substantial space beneath the written name. Read the inclined letters first, then trace the lower return separately. This makes it easier to distinguish the signature’s word shapes from the decoration framing them.
- Slant
- ≥ +40°forward
- Baseline
- +0.9°near level
- Width / height
- 3.69 : 1overall proportions
- Opening height
- 0.57×opening versus body letters
About John Hancock and this autograph
John Hancock (23 January 1737 – 8 October 1793) was an American Patriot and statesman during the American Revolution. The specimen shows John Hancock’s signature on the United States Declaration of Independence.
John Hancock signature and handwriting analysis
John Hancock’s signature sample has a forward slant at the edge of the measured range, a near-level baseline and 6 enclosed loops. Comparing autograph strokes, baseline angle (+0.9°), slant (+40°), opening ratio (0.57×) and enclosed loops (6) reveals how individual signature traits contrast with standard handwriting features. Use the layers to follow the writing line, letter band, slant and enclosed loops.
- Slantforward
- ≥ +40°
- Baselinenear level
- +0.9°
- Width / heightoverall proportions
- 3.69 : 1
- Opening heightopening versus body letters
- 0.57×
- Enclosed loopsclosed spaces in the image
- 6
- Ink groupsmain disconnected groups
- 6
- Ink densityinside the signature bounds
- 12.8%
- Underlinelower flourish
- 47% of width
- Finish heightrelative to the letter body
- +0.17×
Opening, letter body and finish
The opening is lower than the typical letter body. The opening-to-body ratio is 0.57×, while the whole image is 3.69 times as wide as it is tall. The rightmost ink finishes above the writing line; look at this ending separately from the slant of the letters themselves.
Loops and the lower flourish
The sample contains 6 enclosed loops and 6 main ink groups. The lower flourish spans about 47% of the full ink width, giving the name another line to follow beneath its letters.
All 11 measured signature features
Slant
≥+40°Angle of the letter strokes from vertical. Positive angles lean right; negative angles lean left.
The signature has a forward slant (≥+40°). The blue-green guides show the lean of strokes across the name.
Baseline
+0.9°Direction of the writing line from the beginning to the end of the signature.
The writing line stays nearly level (+0.9°). The red guide follows the base of the letters, separate from lower loops and flourishes.
Opening capital
0.6×Height of the opening letter relative to the typical letters that follow. 1× means similar heights.
The opening stands 0.6 times as high as the following letters. The purple box marks its area; the dashed blue guide marks the letter-body band.
Enclosed loops
6Closed spaces surrounded by ink, counted across the whole signature.
There are 6 enclosed loops in the sample. Orange outlines locate them. Compare their size and placement within the name.
Ink groups
6Separate connected areas of ink in the image. Dots or detached letters can form additional groups.
The signature contains 6 main ink groups. The visible ink is divided into separate shapes. Look at where those shapes join or separate.
Ink density
13%Share of the signature’s enclosing rectangle occupied by ink.
Ink covers 13% of the measured signature area; the rest is open space. Compare the open areas with the thickness of the visible strokes.
Underline / flourish
47% wideLength of a lower underline or flourish compared with the full signature width.
A lower underline or flourish spans about 47% of the name’s width. Its highlighted area shows how much emphasis sits beneath the letters.
Finish height
+0.2×Height of the rightmost ending above or below the baseline, in typical letter heights. Positive is above; negative is below.
The ending sits close to the writing line (+0.2 letter heights). The orange guide locates the finish relative to the red baseline.
Width / height
3.7 : 1Full ink width divided by full ink height, including the signature’s tall and low strokes.
The shape is 3.7 times as wide as it is high. Its ink spans 1138 × 308 image pixels. Compare the horizontal spread with the vertical reach of the capitals and loops.
Ornamentation
5.5×Total traced stroke length divided by signature width. More turns and retraced shapes add length.
The traced strokes total 6,203 pixels, about 5.5 times the signature’s width. Look for loops, turns and flourishes that add movement within that width.
Angularity
2.7Number of corners per 100 pixels of traced ink outline. Higher values indicate more frequent sharp turns.
The outline contains about 2.7 corners per 100 pixels. Inspect the turns in the pen-path layer and compare pointed changes of direction with rounded curves.
Signatures with similar shapes
Compare these samples’ slant, proportions and letter rhythm with John Hancock’s autograph.
