Elvis meets President Nixon

Take a look at this fascinating letter written by Elvis Presley to President Nixon in 1970.

The contents seem normal enough but underneath rages a river of inner turmoil and anxiety.

Who would have guessed what was raging under the surface? Nixon certainly didn’t get the full implications though it is said that he found the meeting somewhat uncomfortable.

In the letter Elvis requested a meeting with the president.  In fact he had been so anxious to get the meeting approved that he delivered this five-page letter in person to the White House.

Obviously his request was favourably received as we can see from the photo.   (Incidentally this photograph of Elvis and Nixon is now an important piece of memorabilia preserved in the U.S. National Archives.)

The Purpose of the Letter

The purpose of Elvis’s letter was to tell the president that he was particularly concerned about the drug problem among the youth and he felt that his position as a popular entertainer would help him to reach these young people.

In order to facilitate this he asked to be made a federal agent in the war against drugs.

How ironic this is in hindsight particularly in view of Elvis’s own growing dependence on drugs!

What the handwriting reveals

With that as background, let’s take a closer look at the handwriting:

The letter is packed with many intriguing clues – in fact there are so many that a full analysis could run into many pages.

However, the most striking thing about the handwriting is the irregularity in several areas and precisely because it is such a dominant feature it is particularly significant.

In Graphology, inconsistencies and distortions to any great extent reflect confusion and anxiety.

Now take a look at the following signs:

• Notice how the letters are all written differently. There is a lack of consistency and no particular style with regard to how the letters are shaped. 
• If you take a look at the Capital I alone you will see that it is configured differently all the way down the page.
•  Take note of the lower loops of the y’s and g’s – there are hardly any lower loops that are written in the same way. And in addition, they move around in all directions.  
• The base line goes up and down like the waves of the sea.  
• Some letters are wide; others are cramped together. Compare the open airiness of “love it. Sir” in the first line with the restricted look of “communications with people” in the fourth line from the bottom.

There are many other instances of irregularity which I cannot go into here because it would demand a thesis! But take a look and you will see many more discrepancies for yourself.

The meaning of Discordant handwriting

So what does all this mean and how can we interpret such discordant handwriting?

Well, this letter was written when Elvis had already been out of the army for about a decade.

The relevance of the army to all this is that during his military service a sergeant had introduced him to amphetamines. Now Elvis had always been against drugs ever since his youth.  He always advocated clean living and so he convinced himself that his own usage was purely medicinal. He felt that the amphetamines gave him strength and energy. But his growing dependence on them clearly had a negative effect.

With that as background we can begin to see why this handwriting is so conflicted.

Therefore, under the circumstances it would not be very productive to analyze a handwriting like this using normal standards. There are too many contradictions that have their base in extraneous influences. We would have to analyze a sample of handwriting from an earlier period in Elvis’s life to get a better idea of his real personality.

It would be very interesting to compare this letter to a sample of his handwriting written before his army period. But unfortunately I was unable to find such a sample.

If you come across such a sample please write in and let me know.  In any case I would be interested to hear your opinion about this extraordinary page of handwriting.

J.K. Rowling (Wikipedia)

 When I first thought of writing about J.K. Rowling’s signature I had no idea that it would be so difficult.  And I don’t mean the graphological analysis itself. 

I simply mean that finding an authentic J.K. Rowling signature is quite a mission.

I  searched high and low for a genuine J.K. Rowling signature but it appeared that so many are forged that it’s impossible to vouch for them.

It seems that the author of Harry Potter has such a highly prized signature that it is much sought after by forgers.

Apparently there is a huge market out there for her genuine signature which is regarded as a  valuable commodity!

JK Rowling herself warns autograph collectors about scams and says that her only genuine signatures are to be found in books that come from authorized book dealers.

The following signature comes from the website Beyondhogwarts.com and it can be found at http://www.beyondhogwarts.com/story.200509071.html .

At the website there is a detailed explanation about fake signatures pertaining to much of the Harry Potter Merchandise that is available. 

A Description of J.K. Rowling’s Signature

At any rate, here is the signature I found there.  It purports to  be a “Sample of authentic J.K. Rowling autograph”

The most striking thing about this signature is the enormous amount of imagination that it shows. 

It really is a marvelous demonstration of the intelligent use of imagination.

The high lasso-like arches extend into the world of fantasy but the firm ductus and strong downstrokes keep it grounded firmly in reality. The formation of the “w” of Rowling is rather ingenious and quite unique.

The signature as a whole speaks of  strong independence and shows that J.K. Rowling has the courage of her convictions. And we know this to be true from her determined comments in the face of criticism. In fact the “K” shows evidence of her fighting spirit.

But take a look at the small “o” in the middle of the signature. 

It shows that she originally came from a place where feelings of insecurity were not unknown to her. At some time in her life she must have felt pretty insignificant – a feeling that stayed with her for a long time but which has largely been dissipated as a  result of all the adulation that fame and fortune has brought her.

But the remnants still remain there in a rather discreet way as a permanent reminder of her early days as a young author when she was firmly wedged in a place between shyness and obscurity.

Today, her signature speaks eloquently of her confidence and well-earned pride that burgeoned with the growth of her fame and success.

And this being a blog about handwriting how very appropriate that it should be brought to light on such an auspicious day! 

Because today marks the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth 11′s ascendancy to the throne of England. An amazing landmark.

However, as you well know, this is a blog about handwriting so I thought we should take a look at Queen Elizabeth’s handwriting.

Little did I expect to find such a charming and informal letter.

I discovered it in the rather austere vaults of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Museum’s Manuscripts Collection.

But be that as it may, this is what emerged – and you will see what I mean from the contents of the letter.  

A letter from Queen Elizabeth to General Eisenhower

But this is supposed to be about handwriting so here is a brief description.

The lines are well spaced while the words themselves are a little further apart.  This would suggest an awareness of being somewhat apart from the general noise.

The  T-bars are high and firm while the slant is  mostly upright.  The upper zone is tall and while the whole picture is friendly and informal there is also a quiet and conservative air of dignity. 

Some of the  forms are rounded and there is a slight inclination to the right – like a royal nod which reveals an inherent warmth and a desire to listen and understand.

Here is a copy of the present Queen Elizabeth’s signature.

Although the capitals are large in proportion to the body, it is unpretentious in its clarity and simplicity. 

And something that says a lot is the fact that the royal R is  no larger than the initial E of Elizabeth.  A fine demonstration of dignified modesty.

 Now take a look at the following signature of  Queen Elizabeth I 

Granted that the times were different and writing styles were different too.  But the essence will always remain. 

While the first signature shows a clear thinking sensibility this second sample has many unnecessary embellishments.

Showy, elaborate and highly decorative it is anything but modest. But then of course it ties in very well with the ruffles and elaborate etiquette of the times.

By way of contrast, there is a down to earth practicality in the present queen’s signature that is completely  absent from the earlier monarch’s elaborate hand. 

It is well to bear in mind that more than 60 years ago, the then princess Elizabeth joined the war effort by training as a driver in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service (WATS). 

Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte the author of Jane Eyre was one of the most romantic writers of the 1800’s.

Partly biographical, Jane Eyre is about the struggles of a strong independent young woman and her need for love.  

It is a deeply romantic book that positively sizzles with passion. 

In fact, largely because of its many biographical elements, I like many others have often wondered about Charlotte Bronte’s own search for love.

But now her secret has been exposed.  Because Charlotte’s secret love letters have just been discovered.

And what an intriguing story it is too!

In about 1844 Charlotte stayed with a professor Constantin Heger and his wife in Brussels while she was studying languages. It must have been then that she became infatuated with him.

A Fobidden Love

She was just 28 at the time but as her beloved professor was a married man with children everything had to be kept very quiet.  

On returning home to England she carried on a correspondence with him – which in those days must have been a highly controversial thing to do. Because had anyone known about the affair her reputation would have been in tatters.

The correspondence in fact, was so secret that the professor on receiving the letters was careful to tear them up and throw them into the waste basket under his desk.

But as the story goes, his wife having become suspicious of the  clandestine love affair was on the lookout for some evidence.  She found the shreds of paper in the waste paper basket and carefully pieced them together.

The Love Letters

The love letters were mostly written in French and here are a few intriguing bits of what the professor’s wife found among the shreds:  

“If my master withdraws his friendship from me entirely, I shall be absolutely without hope.”

And again:

“I must say one word to you in English – I wish I would write to you more cheerful letters, for when I read this over, I find it to be somewhat gloomy – but forgive me my dear master – do not be irritated at my sadness – according to the words of the Bible: ‘Out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaketh’ and truly I find it difficult to be cheerful so long as I think I shall never see you more.”

These and other outpourings must have upset the professor’s wife considerably because she kept the damning letters and probably read them over and over. Did she keep them as evidence?

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre from the movie

The sad affair was doomed to failure and 3 years later Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre. 

She must have poured all her feelings of unrequited love into it because the work is full of pent-up emotion.

In fact another of her lesser known works, Villette is said to bear a noticeable resemblance to her own love story.

And now, one of Charlotte Bronte’s letters is due to be published by the British Library in an Anthology of love letters by historical personalities.

The anthology called “Love Letters: 2000 Years of Romance” is to reproduce original love letters in the authors’ own handwriting.

What a win for Graphologists. Wouldn’t you just love to get hold of it?  I know I would!

Freddy Mercury in Music and Handwriting

The other day, I was listening to a CD of Freddie Mercury’s music which always blows me away.

His dynamism and showmanship, his musicality and plain musical genius are quite unforgettable.

I thought of his outstanding individuality and originality; of the power and strength he projected on the stage – and of course, his unique and imaginative approach.

A handwriting sample always adds new dimensions of understanding for me so I tried to imagine what his signature and handwriting would look like.

Fortunately, I managed to track down a rather bold and clear signature on Wikipedia.

I studied it with interest. And if truth be told it didn’t really surprise me.  I had expected his handwriting to look something like this because it encapsulated everything about the Freddie Mercury I had read about and knew from his music.

What really intrigued me was how I had managed to visualize some of the qualities of  his signature by reverse engineering it from a known set of personality traits.

Anyway,  here  is the sample of Freddie Mercury’s signature.  What do you think  of it?:

It would appear to me that he wrote this in his heyday when things were going well for him.  Some of his later signatures show a progressive deterioration and loss of power.

But the strength and drama in this signature are obvious.  The strokes are firm and assertive.  Also, the pressure is dark and powerful though the extreme upward slant shows a somewhat euphoric trend. 

The M is imposing and the final “y” is the epitome of dynamic showmanship. There is further showmanship as well as some artistry in the way the F and M are joined.

On the other hand, the tall d’s show pride as well as a dislike of criticism.  Not surprising really as he was a man who did things his way and refused to bend to public opinion.

 There is so much to read in this signature and we haven’t even begun to  look at his handwriting as such. Much more can be added but I  would very much like this to be a conversation. 

And so  I want to know what you think.  Add your opinion below and let’s see if we can strike up a discussion about this rather fascinating signature.

A Van Gogh Self-Portrait

 Van Gogh was not only a master painter; he was also a prolific letter writer.  And for a graphologist that is akin to gold!

Here is a fascinating description of Van Gogh’s handwriting from an article issued by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. 

Which incidentally I visited a few years ago – and was blown away by the truly stunning visual beauty and vibrant colours of Van Gogh’s paintings. 

If truth be told, I had never been a Van Gogh fan before – that is, until I saw his original paintings.

My interest in him as a painter changed from that day on and it probably won’t surprise you to learn that I also developed an interest in his handwriting.  

Here is one of his letters:

Sample of one of Van Gogh’s letters:

Letter by Van Gogh Amsterdam Museum

I have put together a few excerpts from a rather long article by the museum that gives a wonderful description of his handwriting.  It is from their article “Van Gogh as a letter-writer.”  And he was indeed a very prolific letter writer.

I couldn’t find any mention of the writer’s name  – but the article gives a very interesting description of his handwriting. Here it is:

Excerpts from: Van Gogh as a letter-writer

“His handwriting is not that difficult to read, particularly after one has got used to it. Comparison of the earliest letters with those from the French period show that it evolved from a rather stiff and school-boyish form into a more personal and distinctive one, as is the case with almost everyone.

This barely affected legibility, partly because he had quite an upright and open hand and usually wrote with a fine-nibbed pen.

The most difficult letters to read are those in which he resorted to a minuscule, cramped hand, with many words to the line and many lines to the page, which applies in particular to the Amsterdam letters.

As mentioned in the section on the nineteenth-century letter-writing culture, there were certain conventions that had to be observed, and the neatness of a letter was considered to have a bearing on the impression that the contents made on the recipient.

Van Gogh clearly took liberties in this respect. The letters are still neat in the years up to around 1875, but the more he began to distance himself from the prevailing conventions in his private life, the freer the appearance of his letters became.

The growing length of the letters forced him to use smaller handwriting, and he often placed additions in the margin or between the lines. He also crossed out many mistakes, which was rarely necessary in the earliest letters. It seems he became less concerned about the appearance of what he wrote.

Reading them is made more complicated by the fact that Van Gogh often wrote very long sentences and was very sparing in his use of punctuation, capital letters and the like. Sometimes he must have put his recipients severely to the test.

Van Gogh and his Expressive Emotions

One oddity about his writing that gives editors trouble is the way in which he emphasized words.

Not only did he underline them, as is customary, but if he wanted to give something added emphasis he underlined it again and again, up to four or five times.

This is mainly found in vehement passages written when he was clearly agitated. He often combined that technique with individual letters written larger or more thickly.

One of the most striking examples is the letter in which he complains to Theo about their father’s refusal to meet him halfway as regards living at home again in the parsonage in Nuenen.

He seems to have gone to considerable lengths to communicate his anger through his handwriting, although we must nevertheless assume that he was too emotional to spend extra time on it.

Quite often, too, Van Gogh emphasized the names of artists and writers and the titles of their works. His usual technique here was to modify his handwriting, either by writing the name or title in slightly larger letters or by making them more upright, looser and more widely spaced, comparable to the way in which block letters are used nowadays.”
End of excerpts.

As it happens I wrote a detailed description of Van Gogh’s handwriting in “The Mark of Genius” which explains his handwriting in detail.  But that’s another story – I don’t want to spoil the lovely article above by adding my own impressions here.

Creative Children with Michelle Obama

Is your child creative? If so, it’s a blessing you should never take for granted.  A creative person has a gift for life.

One of the greatest things that you can do for your child is to uncover and encourage creativity early on  because this is a gift that can add immeasurably to your child’s quality of life – not only now during his or her childhood – but right through into adulthood as well.

So how can you find out if your child has creative potential?

Once again, a little knowledge of handwriting analysis comes to our aid.

Take a look at your child’s handwriting and see if you can find some of the following signs:

 Creativity in handwriting

1. Look for a comfortable and free flow of the writing stroke that looks natural and easygoing. Creativity thrives in an atmosphere of freedom where there is a lack of restriction.

2. Take note of the type of pen your child likes to use. If she chooses to write with a thick point rather than a thin point it may indicate a tendency towards pasty writing.  Pastiness is a term used by handwriting analysts to describe a pen stroke that looks as if it were written by a felt-tipped pen. It shows a love of beauty and artistry and is a mark of creativity.

3. Check to see if there any letter formations that are different from the normal school model.  Because this would indicate a measure of original thinking.

4. If your child’s handwriting is large and round it would suggest that she is inclined to choose form before function which would involve a use of imagination.

5. Circular i-dots as well as writing that is slightly decorative could show that your child has an eye for design.

These are just a few of the signs of creativity.  Obviously there are more, but these should be a good indication.  So be sure to check your child’s handwriting. It may very well give you some clues to his or her creativity.

Cutting grass to Perfection

While a certain amount of diligence and meticulousness is commendable, the extreme form of perfectionism is not.

Perfectionism can be a problem because it stands in the way of a child’s willingness to explore.

Obeying rules becomes more important to the child than investigating new methods and trying out new things. And as we know, exploration is a huge part of learning

So how can you tell if the child you are dealing with is too much of a perfectionist?

The Signs of Perfectionism

A child who is an extreme perfectionist will tend to be anxious to do everything correctly. Her written work will be neat and correct while any little mistakes will stress her. She will choose to stick to the safe methods dictated to her by her teachers and parents and will be wary of experimenting.

At first this may seem like a very desirable trait. After all, the child is obedient, gives no trouble and produces correct, neat work. 

Unfortunately there’s a flip side because it means that she will be discouraged from using her own initiative – something that will be reinforced whenever she is praised for being a good girl and for following all the rules.

It will inevitably lead to formalism and frustration and a stifling of her creativity.  And it  just so  happens that creativity and experimentation will always be the first casualties to suffer from perfectionism.

Creativity and the significance of Failure

Creativity can only thrive in a free atmosphere where the child is unafraid to learn and experiment and make mistakes.  It cannot thrive where there are too many restrictions and rules.  

Failure should be seen as a normal part of learning and children should be taught that failure does not  have to be dreaded.  In fact, not trying at all is far worse than failure itself.

Fortunately it’s possible to identify different fears in a child’s handwriting before they have any lasting or damaging effect.

There are ways to detect perfectionism in a child’s handwriting and I will show you how in my forthcoming newsletter. 

If you are already subscribed to The Graphology Review you will get it automatically.  If not, simply enter your email in the box below and  I’ll send it to you.

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When Google honoured her with a picture on their homepage, I immediately began to wonder about her handwriting.

I’m pleased to say that I was fortunate enough to find her signature and a brief sample of her handwriting! 

So while I looked for her signature and handwriting (see below) I also discovered that she actually won two Nobel prizes. 

One in 1903 for physics and 8 years later another in chemistry. 

Sadly, she didn’t realize how dangerous her research was and she later died from too much exposure to radiation.

Born in Poland, on November 7, 1867 she was the youngest of five children. When she was 24 she went to Paris to study physics.

She met her husband Pierre Curie at the Sorbonne where he was an instructor in physics and chemistry.

They worked together researching radioactivity and discovered a new element which she named polonium in honour of her home  country, Poland.

A brilliant and determined scientist, she became a victim of the very research to which she was so dedicated.

So here is her signature:

The most striking thing about this signature is the simplicity and clarity which are so obvious.  It is also very legible.  There was nothing artificial about her.  She did not seek fame or glory.

Look at the strength in the signature which is confident but unassuming.  The lines are clean and the stroke unwavering.

Following is a brief sample of her actual handwriting in Polish.

 Note the hooks in both M’s which show her tenacity. A true scientist, she had a critical mind and a desire for accuracy. High ideals and a scientist’s curiosity were the hallmarks of her meticulous research.

And yet there is strong evidence of an imaginative quality too. To some this would seem strange because science and imagination would seem to be strange bedfellows.  But in  fact it really isn’t so strange at all.

After all it was Einstein himself who said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

He could have been referring to Marie Curie herself.

But to me, the most outstanding features are the power and the passion so evident in his handwriting.

Of course, when the handwriting is as rich and as complex as Freud’s it can be rather challenging to analyze.

But the complexity alone speaks volumes and soon you begin to see the outstanding features that bring his personality to life on the page.

One of the most fascinating aspects of handwriting analysis is its ability to uncover certain facets of personality that are not generally known by the public.

So with these things in mind, let’s take a look at a sample of Freud’s handwriting:

Passion and fearless originality are the hallmarks of Freud’s handwriting.

Freud appears to have been a very temperamental character and he must have found his turbulent emotions difficult to control.

His compact, heavily- pressured handwriting with its numerous restrictions shows that he was temperamentally volatile and subject to dark moods, emotional torment, and impulsive outbursts.

His strong resentments and undying grudges are also plain to see. He was a turbulent character and his handwriting clearly mirrors his dark brooding quality.

His moodiness was undoubtedly exacerbated by the high degree of tension so evident in his handwriting.

Note the heavy pressure, the irregularities, the discordances and the obvious lack of rhythm.  These are all indicators that point to extreme moodiness.

But – and this is the important part – there is also a strong element of untamed inventiveness, of genius unconfined by established rules and a boundless creative energy that exudes from every letter.

A Passionate Personality

Passion is the word best used to describe Freud’s handwriting with its ink-filled letters and many sweeping extensions. He was a passionate and intense character who saw everything in shades of black and white and his bouts of frustration and anger were no doubt inflamed when he had to endure rejection from his fellow psychiatrists.

He was certainly passionate about his beliefs – and there was passion in his relationships too. Small wonder that his theories revolved around sex.

Certainly, his courtship of his wife, Martha Bernays was ardent enough when in addressing this particular letter to her he started it with: “My sweet darling girl”.

This was no luke-warm character. Neither, years later, would he have been lukewarm in his association with the beautiful Lou Andreas-Salome, a notable seductress who ostensibly admired his intellect.

These are just a few of the fascinating insights that help us to understand more about Freud’s character. They help us to see him as a lively personality rather than as a dry intellectual from the pages of history.

 I you would like to find out more about this, go to Graphic Insight where you can read about the bitter enmity between Freud and Jung and see the clash of their personalities in a comparison of their handwritings.