Primary sourceDocument
Signature of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Goethe's autograph signature, a simple trace of his own handwriting.
This is Goethe's own autograph signature, a direct physical trace of his handwriting.
About this source
What it is
This image shows the handwritten signature of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, reproduced as a digital graphic from his own autograph.
Why it matters
A signature is a small but direct trace of a historical person's own hand. It can be compared with other documents attributed to Goethe to check authenticity, and it shows the distinctive flourish he used when signing letters and official papers throughout his life.
Look closer
- What does the style of the signature — its loops and long tail — suggest about how Goethe wrote quickly or carefully?
- Why do historians use signatures to check whether a document is genuine?
- What can a signature alone NOT tell us about a person?
This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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