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Signature of Karl Marx

Karl Marx

Marx's handwritten signature, often cited as an example of his notoriously difficult handwriting.

This is Marx's own signature, a direct physical trace of his hand.

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Black handwritten cursive signature on a white background reading 'Karl Marx', with long looping strokes.
Signature of Karl Marx.

About this source

What it is

This is an image of Karl Marx's signature, shown in flowing cursive strokes.

Why it matters

A signature is a small but personal trace of a historical figure. In Marx's case, his handwriting was famously hard to read, which caused real problems for the editors and typesetters who had to turn his manuscripts into printed books.

Look closer

  • What do the loops and strokes suggest about how quickly Marx wrote?
  • Why might difficult handwriting matter for historians trying to read an author's original drafts?

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

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Front cover of the 1848 German edition of the Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei, printed in green with a black decorative border. Title in black blackletter type, with 'Veröffentlicht im Februar 1848' and 'London' printed below.Book

Primary source

The Communist Manifesto

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels · February 1848

Title page of the first German edition of Das Kapital by Karl Marx, 1867, published in Hamburg by Verlag von Otto Meissner. Ornate border, handwritten note at top right, Erster Band, Buch I: Der Produktionsprocess des Kapitals.Book

Primary source

Capital: A Critique of Political Economy

Karl Marx · 1867

Color slide in a black mount with handwritten label reading 'Moskau, K.-Marx-Denkmal v. Lew Kerbel, 1961 voll. '62'. The photo shows a large grey stone monument of Karl Marx's bearded head and shoulders on a tall rough pedestal, with a plaza, trees, and buildings behind under a cloudy sky.Sculpture

Secondary source

Karl Marx Monument in Moscow

Lew Kerbel · 1961-1962

Black-and-white studio portrait of a bearded older man with wavy white hair, seated in a carved wooden chair with his arms folded, wearing a dark suit and light shirt, against a dark backdrop with a draped curtain on the right.Photograph

Primary source

Portrait of Karl Marx

John Mayall · 1875

Glass lantern slide in a black mount with a handwritten label reading 'TRIER, K.-Marx-Geb.-Haus, Brückenstr. 1965'. The slide shows a color photograph of a three-story white-facade house with dark slate roof, dormer windows, shutters, and a central stone-framed doorway. A small figure stands at the right near the entrance, and a street runs along the bottom.Photograph

Secondary source

Karl Marx's Birthplace House in Trier

1965

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