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Signature of Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin

Darwin's handwritten autograph signature, used to authenticate his letters and documents.

This is Darwin's own handwritten signature, used to verify documents and letters as genuinely his.

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Handwritten black ink signature reading 'Charles Darwin' in cursive script on a white background, with a large flourish curving beneath the name.
Signature of Charles Darwin.

About this source

What it is

A handwritten signature reading "Charles Darwin" in cursive script with a flourish, taken from the Commons file recording his autograph.

Why it matters

Signatures like this help historians verify the authenticity of letters, manuscripts and official papers attributed to Darwin. A signature is a small but personal trace of someone's own hand, connecting a document directly to its author.

Look closer

  • What can handwriting tell us about a person that typed text cannot?
  • Why do historians rely on signatures to confirm authorship of old documents?
  • What questions can't a signature alone answer about who wrote a letter?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Charles Darwin on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of the 1859 John Murray first edition of 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection' by Charles Darwin. Cream paper with black serif type, London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1859.Book

Primary source

On the Origin of Species

Charles Darwin · 1859

Handwritten pen sketch by Charles Darwin labeled 'I think' with a branching tree diagram marked with letters A, B, C, D and circled 1, beside a page of cursive handwriting in a curved column, dated 1837 in the top corner.Diary entry

Primary source

Notebook B 'I think' Tree of Life Sketch

Charles Darwin · c. July 1837

Printed page 45 of the 1858 Linnean Society paper 'On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties' by Darwin and Wallace, with a covering letter from Lyell and Hooker dated London, June 30th, 1858. Text is in serif type.Document

Primary source

On the Tendency of Species to Form Varieties

Charles Darwin / Alfred Russel Wallace · 1858

Sepia-toned portrait of an elderly bearded man with a bald crown, seen in left profile against a dark background. He wears a dark jacket, white collar, and dark tie, and his gaze is directed to the left.Photograph

Primary source

Charles Darwin by Julia Margaret Cameron

Julia Margaret Cameron · c. 1868

Title page of Charles Darwin's book 'The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex', 1871. Text reads: by Charles Darwin, M.A., F.R.S., &c.; in two volumes, Vol. I; with illustrations; London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1871.Book

Primary source

The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex

Charles Darwin · 1871

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