Joseph Stalin signature

A detached opening stroke descends diagonally at the left.

Joseph Stalin's signature
Autograph specimen. Image credit: Joseph Stalin, digitalization by АнИгМа · Public domain.

What does Joseph Stalin’s signature look like?

A detached opening stroke descends diagonally at the left. A larger upper arch introduces the irregular Cyrillic name group, followed by small upright forms and a descending right-hand ending. Compare the separate initial with the connected group: the source image retains uneven ink edges that differ from the smooth outlines of vector tracings.

Slant
+24°forward
Baseline
+6.5°rising
Width / height
2.23 : 1overall proportions
Opening height
1.31×opening versus body letters

About Joseph Stalin and this autograph

Joseph Stalin (18 December 1878 – 5 March 1953) was a politician and leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from 1924 to 1953. Joseph Stalin held citizenship in the Soviet Union. This specimen is the signature image of Joseph Stalin shared on Wikimedia Commons.

Joseph Stalin signature and handwriting analysis

Joseph Stalin’s signature sample has 24° of forward slant, a rising baseline and 1 enclosed loop. Comparing autograph strokes, baseline angle (+6.5°), slant (+24°), opening ratio (1.31×) and enclosed loops (1) 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
+24°
Baselinerising
+6.5°
Width / heightoverall proportions
2.23 : 1
Opening heightopening versus body letters
1.31×
Enclosed loopsclosed spaces in the image
1
Ink groupsmain disconnected groups
12
Ink densityinside the signature bounds
6.3%
Underlineno long lower flourish
None
Finish heightrelative to the letter body
−0.67×

Opening, letter body and finish

The opening stays near the height of the body letters. The opening-to-body ratio is 1.31×, while the whole image is 2.23 times as wide as it is tall. The rightmost ink finishes below the writing line; look at this ending separately from the slant of the letters themselves.

Loops and the lower flourish

The sample contains 1 enclosed loop and 12 main ink groups. The letterforms carry the main horizontal movement; there is no long lower underline detected beneath their band.

All 11 measured signature features

Slant

+24°
−450°+45Slant +24° from vertical+24° from vertical

Angle of the letter strokes from vertical. Positive angles lean right; negative angles lean left.

The signature has a forward slant (+24°). The blue-green guides show the lean of strokes across the name.

Baseline

+6.5°
Baseline +6.5 degrees from horizontalstartfinish+6.5° · dashed = level

Direction of the writing line from the beginning to the end of the signature.

The writing line rises (+6.5°). The red guide follows the base of the letters, separate from lower loops and flourishes.

Opening capital

1.3×
Opening height 1.3 times following lettersopeningbody1.3×1×

Height of the opening letter relative to the typical letters that follow. 1× means similar heights.

The opening stands 1.3 times as high as the following letters. The purple box marks its area; the dashed blue guide marks the letter-body band.

Enclosed loops

1
1 enclosed loop highlighted in the measured signature1 enclosed space

Closed spaces surrounded by ink, counted across the whole signature.

There is 1 enclosed loop in the sample. Orange outlines locate them. Compare their size and placement within the name.

Ink groups

12
12 connected ink groups; each circle represents one groupeach circle = one ink group12 groups in the sample

Separate connected areas of ink in the image. Dots or detached letters can form additional groups.

The signature contains 12 main ink groups. The visible ink is divided into separate shapes. Look at where those shapes join or separate.

Ink density

6%
6.3 percent of signature area filled with ink6.3% filled areagrid = 100% of signature area

Share of the signature’s enclosing rectangle occupied by ink.

Ink covers 6% of the measured signature area; the rest is open space. Compare the open areas with the thickness of the visible strokes.

Underline / flourish

None
Measured signature without a long lower underlineNo lower underline

Length of a lower underline or flourish compared with the full signature width.

No long lower underline is detected. The name is carried by the letterforms and their own lower strokes.

Finish height

−0.7×
Finish −0.7 typical letter heights from baseline1×baseline−0.7× · above / below line

Height of the rightmost ending above or below the baseline, in typical letter heights. Positive is above; negative is below.

The ending sits below the writing line (−0.7 letter heights). The orange guide locates the finish relative to the red baseline.

Width / height

2.2 : 1
Signature ink width 670 pixels and height 300 pixels670 px wide × 300 px high

Full ink width divided by full ink height, including the signature’s tall and low strokes.

The shape is 2.2 times as wide as it is high. Its ink spans 670 × 300 image pixels. Compare the horizontal spread with the vertical reach of the capitals and loops.

Ornamentation

3.3×
Stroke path 2221 pixels compared with 670 pixel signature widthstroke path2,221 pxname width670 pxpath is 3.3× the width

Total traced stroke length divided by signature width. More turns and retraced shapes add length.

The traced strokes total 2,221 pixels, about 3.3 times the signature’s width. Look for loops, turns and flourishes that add movement within that width.

Angularity

5.2
5.2 corners per 100 pixels of ink outline0510corners per 100 px of outline

Number of corners per 100 pixels of traced ink outline. Higher values indicate more frequent sharp turns.

The outline contains about 5.2 corners per 100 pixels. Inspect the turns in the pen-path layer and compare pointed changes of direction with rounded curves.

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