Further traditional handwriting examination methods

The Langenbruch method is a historical method of handwriting examination and was not widely used in forensic practice. According to its creator, it could be used primarily to analyse short pieces of writing, such as signatures or addresses on envelopes, although its use for longer manuscripts was also theoretically accepted after suitable passages had been isolated.

This method was based on the assumption that human handwriting has an individual rhythm and a distinctive way of being positioned on the writing surface. In practice, the examination involved isolating particular words or text fragments and then analysing their layout using geometric figures and special guide lines.

According to the method's creator, its identification value was intended to arise from the constancy of the proportions of these lines in manuscripts produced by the same person, even when deliberately disguising handwriting or writing with the other hand. However, it was also noted that the method fails when writing space is limited or the writer is experiencing strong emotions, which significantly limits its practical usefulness.

The graphometric method is one of the earliest research approaches based on analysis of the geometric parameters of handwriting. Edmond Locard is regarded as one of graphometry’s founders, although other researchers, including Pierre Humbert and Persifor Frazer, also contributed to the development of the concept. The method analyses measurable handwriting features treated as relatively constant elements of a person’s writing.

Graphometric examinations involve numerous geometric measurements, such as:

• length of individual letter elements,
• slant angles of graphic characters,
• curvature of arcs and ovals,
• distances between letters and writing elements.

The values obtained are then subjected to statistical analysis. Measurements are used to determine the average proportions of individual handwriting elements, which are then presented as plotted curves in a coordinate system. Correspondence between the curves for questioned and reference material may indicate a common writer.

This method offers a high degree of objectivity because it relies on numerical data and geometric measurements. At the same time, a recognised drawback is its exclusive focus on measurable external handwriting features, without considering dynamic elements associated with the motor aspects of writing.

Matveyev’s method also uses measurable handwriting parameters. It assumes that each person has an individual way of shifting the hand’s support point while writing, as well as a characteristic amplitude of writing movements. These parameters affect the slant and arrangement of letters in the text.

Examinations using this method measure letter slant angles relative to the text baseline. The measurements are plotted in a coordinate system as a curve showing the variation in letter slant in the text being analysed.

To avoid excessive data density, measurements are usually taken for every second or third line of text. The analysis primarily concerns straight letter stems, because oval or irregular elements can make the slant angle difficult to determine precisely.

If the curves obtained for the questioned material and reference material converge, this may support a conclusion of common authorship of the entries analysed. The method’s originator noted, however, that its effectiveness is limited for immature handwriting or writing produced in unusual conditions.