History & public life · Autograph & handwriting
Napoleon signature
The compact, dark name starts with an enlarged crossing stroke.
What does Napoleon’s signature look like?
The compact, dark name starts with an enlarged crossing stroke. Its lower flourish sweeps across nearly the entire width and returns in a shallow oval beneath the letters.
- Slant
- +7°forward
- Baseline
- −4.0°falling
- Width / height
- 2.18 : 1overall proportions
- Opening height
- 0.03×opening versus body letters
A compact name above a broad lower return
The enlarged opening and dark body letters occupy a small upper area. The lower stroke spreads across much of the signature’s width and turns back in a shallow oval. Separating the name from this return makes the specimen’s two-level construction easier to follow.
Napoleon signature analysis
Napoleon’s signature sample has 7° of forward slant, a falling baseline and 3 enclosed loops. Use the layers to follow the writing line, letter band, slant and enclosed loops.
- Slantforward
- +7°
- Baselinefalling
- −4.0°
- Width / heightoverall proportions
- 2.18 : 1
- Opening heightopening versus body letters
- 0.03×
- Enclosed loopsclosed spaces in the image
- 3
- Ink groupsmain disconnected groups
- 1
- Ink densityinside the signature bounds
- 13.4%
- Underlinelower flourish
- 99% of width
- Finish heightrelative to the letter body
- −0.73×
Opening, letter body and finish
The opening is lower than the typical letter body. The opening-to-body ratio is 0.03×, while the whole image is 2.18 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 3 enclosed loops and 1 main ink group. The lower flourish spans about 99% of the full ink width, giving the name another line to follow beneath its letters.
Napoleon’s signature in graphology
Traditional graphology associates upright strokes with composure and independence. An underline is traditionally read as a wish to give the name presence.
Follow the forward-leaning strokes in this image alongside the lower flourish. For another perspective on your own writing, the handwriting analysis tool brings slant, size and spacing into a full-page reading.
Signatures with similar shapes
Compare these samples’ slant, proportions and letter rhythm with Napoleon’s autograph.
