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Signature of James Cook

James Cook

A vectorized version of James Cook's handwritten signature, used to identify his authentic documents.

This is Cook's own signature, used to verify documents and letters that bear his name.

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Black ink line drawing of a handwritten signature on white background, reading 'James Cook' in flowing cursive with long looping underline strokes extending beneath the name.
Signature of James Cook, vectorized reproduction.

About this source

What it is

This is a digital line drawing reproducing the handwritten signature of James Cook, the British explorer and naval officer. It shows his name written in flowing cursive with long looping strokes underneath.

Why it matters

Signatures like this one were used to authenticate official papers, letters and charts. Comparing a known signature with a disputed document helps historians decide whether something was genuinely written or approved by Cook himself.

Look closer

  • What does the style of handwriting suggest about the period it comes from?
  • Why might historians need a reliable example of someone's signature?
  • What can a signature tell us, and what can it not tell us, about a person?

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

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Oil painting of a seated man in a navy blue captain's uniform with gold braid and gold buttons over a white waistcoat. He has grey hair, holds a chart on his lap, and a tricorn hat rests on a table beside him, with sea visible through a window at left.Painting

Primary source

Captain James Cook, 1728-79

Nathaniel Dance-Holland · c. 1775-1776

Oval engraved portrait of Captain James Cook in a naval-style uniform with a high collar and cravat, hair curled at the sides, set within a decorative oval frame. Caption below reads 'Captain James Cook, F.R.S.' with publication credits along the bottom margin.Painting

Secondary source

James Cook, line engraving by Basire after Hodges

William Hodges · 1777

Engraved plate from Philosophical Transactions Vol. LXI, Tab. XIV, p. 410, titled 'Appearances of Venus by Capt. Cook' (top) and 'Appearances of Venus by Mr. Charles Green' (bottom). Each panel shows a series of numbered figures of Venus as a black disc crossing the Sun's curved edge, with arcs representing the Sun's limb at successive moments of the 1769 transit.Document

Primary source

Sketchings of the 1769 Venus Transit

James Cook and Charles Green · 1769

Engraved portrait of a man with white powdered hair, wearing a dark coat over a striped waistcoat and cravat, against a dark background. Below the portrait is a small scene of men in conflict on a shore, with figures wielding weapons. Inscriptions read N. Dance. del. and Rivers. sculp.Painting

Primary source

James Cook, engraving by Rivers after Dance-Holland

Nathaniel Dance-Holland · 1776

Engraved sea chart titled 'Chart of New Zealand, explored in 1769 and 1770' by Lieut. J. Cook, Commander of His Majesty's Bark Endeavour. Shows North and South Islands with coastal names, soundings, compass roses, and a rhumb-line grid. Title and an explanation box appear at top.Document

Primary source

Chart of New Zealand, explored in 1769 and 1770

James Cook · 1770

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