Autograph
An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature.
The word autograph comes from Ancient Greek (αὐτός, autós, "self" and γράφω, gráphō, "write"), and can mean more specifically:
- a manuscript written by the author of its content. In this meaning the term autograph can often be used interchangeably with holograph.
- a celebrity's handwritten signature. Autograph collecting is the activity of collecting such autographs.
History
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2019) |
What might be considered the oldest "autograph" is a Sumerian clay table from about 3100 BC which includes the name of the scribe Gar.Ama. No ancient written autographs have been found, and the earliest one known for a major historical figure is that of El Cid from 1098.
Autograph manuscript
"Autograph" can refer to a document transcribed entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by an amanuensis or a copyist. This meaning overlaps that of "holograph".
Celebrity's signature
Autograph collecting is the hobby of collecting autographs of famous persons. Some of the most popular categories of autograph subjects are presidents, military soldiers, athletes, movie stars, artists, social and religious leaders, scientists, astronauts, and authors.
See also
- Asemic writing – Wordless open semantic form of writing
- Profiles in History – Auction house in Los Angeles, California
- Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence, stone blocks with depicted signatures
- Autograph show
- Law of agency#Allograph – Person representing another person in legal matters, and the laws enabling this, specifically a signature made by an agent on behalf of a principal
References
- Collecting Autographs and Manuscripts by Charles Hamilton, Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 1961, 269 pages.
- Autographs and Manuscripts: A Collector's Manual edited by Ed Berkeley, Charles Scribner's Sons Pub., 1978, 565 pages.
- T.J. Brown's series on Autographs in The Book Collector.
External links
- The Autograph at the HathiTrust Digital Library (early 20th-century periodical, full view)
This article uses material from the Wikipedia English article Autograph, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license ("CC BY-SA 3.0"); additional terms may apply (view authors). Content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
®Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wiki Foundation, Inc. Wiki English (DUHOCTRUNGQUOC.VN) is an independent company and has no affiliation with Wiki Foundation.