← back to CelebritySignatures
wire Oldest Signatures into storefront: grid category + mural product + roster (Met PD art)
3a77cd8f38623977e9774b89c3af534727e111c5 · 2026-06-19 10:23:18 -0700 · SteveStudio2
Files touched
M data/celebrity_signatures.csvM data/celebrity_signatures.jsonM data/murals-catalog.jsonA output/collage-oldest-signatures-named.pngA output/collage-oldest-signatures.pngM public/index.htmlM public/murals.htmlM server.js
Diff
commit 3a77cd8f38623977e9774b89c3af534727e111c5
Author: SteveStudio2 <stevestudio2@SteveStacStudio.lan>
Date: Fri Jun 19 10:23:18 2026 -0700
wire Oldest Signatures into storefront: grid category + mural product + roster (Met PD art)
---
data/celebrity_signatures.csv | 18 ++
data/celebrity_signatures.json | 324 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
data/murals-catalog.json | 7 +
output/collage-oldest-signatures-named.png | Bin 0 -> 927834 bytes
output/collage-oldest-signatures.png | Bin 0 -> 858101 bytes
public/index.html | 6 +-
public/murals.html | 1 +
server.js | 2 +-
8 files changed, 354 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
diff --git a/data/celebrity_signatures.csv b/data/celebrity_signatures.csv
index 5475ebc..f15d8f1 100644
--- a/data/celebrity_signatures.csv
+++ b/data/celebrity_signatures.csv
@@ -111,3 +111,21 @@ Politics,97,Jacques Cartier,https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7321,Cross-wiki notab
Politics,98,Thomas Hobbes,https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37621,Cross-wiki notability: present on 158 language Wikipedias,https://www.gallup.com/poll/most-admired-man-woman.aspx | https://time.com/time100/,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Unterschrift_Thomas_Hobbes_englischer_Mathematiker%2C_Staatstheoretiker_und_Philosoph.png,Wikimedia Commons (Wikidata P109 signature file),CC0,Birkho,yes,1679-12-04,low,yes,Deceased — low publicity-rights risk,"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unterschrift_Thomas_Hobbes_englischer_Mathematiker,_Staatstheoretiker_und_Philosoph.png"
Politics,100,Montesquieu,https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15975,Cross-wiki notability: present on 157 language Wikipedias,https://www.gallup.com/poll/most-admired-man-woman.aspx | https://time.com/time100/,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Signatur_Charles_de_Secondat%2C_Baron_de_Montesquieu.PNG,Wikimedia Commons (Wikidata P109 signature file),Public domain,"Charles_de_Secondat,_Baron_de_Montesquieu",yes,1755-02-10,low,yes,Deceased — low publicity-rights risk,"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Signatur_Charles_de_Secondat,_Baron_de_Montesquieu.PNG"
Politics,101,Franklin Delano Roosevelt,https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8007,Cross-wiki notability: present on 244 language Wikipedias,https://www.espn.com/ | https://www.olympics.com/en/athletes | https://www.laureus.com/,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Franklin_Roosevelt_Signature.svg,Wikimedia Commons (Wikidata P109 signature file),Public domain,Franklin Delano Roosevelt,yes,1945-04-12,low,yes,Deceased — low publicity-rights risk [recategorized Sports→Politics 2026-06-19],https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franklin_Roosevelt_Signature.svg
+Oldest Signatures,1,GAR.AMA (Uruk scribe),https://www.schoyencollection.com/scribes-collection/scribal-training/lexical-list-oldest-autograph-ms-2494-4,Cited by the Schøyen Collection as the earliest extant autograph signature — a named scribe signing a lexical list.,https://www.schoyencollection.com/scribes-collection/scribal-training/lexical-list-oldest-autograph-ms-2494-4,https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/an/web-large/DP293243.jpg,The Met — Open Access (public domain artifact),Public domain,"Proto-Cuneiform tablet with seal impressions: administrative account of barley distribution with cylinder seal impression of a male figure, hunting dogs, and boars",yes,c. 3100 BCE,low,yes,"clay colophon — Scribal colophon impressed in wet clay, not cursive handwriting.",https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/329081
+Oldest Signatures,2,Kushim (Uruk accountant),https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushim_(Uruk_period),Widely cited as the oldest recorded personal name in history — an accountant's mark on institutional barley receipts.,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushim_(Uruk_period),https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/an/web-large/DP293243.jpg,The Met — Open Access (public domain artifact),Public domain,"Proto-Cuneiform tablet with seal impressions: administrative account of barley distribution with cylinder seal impression of a male figure, hunting dogs, and boars",yes,c. 3200–3000 BCE,low,yes,"clay colophon — CONTESTED: 'Kushim' may be a title/office, not a person (Harari popularized it; Assyriologists are split). Impressed clay, not a handwritten autograph.",https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/329081
+Oldest Signatures,3,Inspector Merer,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diary_of_Merer,"World's oldest surviving inscribed papyrus, written by a named first-person official.",https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diary_of_Merer,https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/eg/web-large/10.177.2_EGDP018080.jpg,The Met — Open Access (public domain artifact),Public domain,Composite Papyrus Capital,yes,c. 2560 BCE,low,yes,"papyrus log — A first-person record, not a discrete signature.",https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/551898
+Oldest Signatures,4,Enheduanna,https://www.worldhistory.org/Enheduanna/,Earliest known named author in literary history; signed her own literary colophons.,https://www.worldhistory.org/Enheduanna/,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Disk_of_Enheduanna.JPG/960px-Disk_of_Enheduanna.JPG,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,c. 2285–2250 BCE,low,yes,"clay colophon — The disc is sculpted, not handwritten; surviving tablet copies postdate her by centuries (attribution debated).",https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/329090
+Oldest Signatures,5,Cleopatra VII,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus_Bingen_45,Argued by some scholars to be the only surviving handwritten word by Cleopatra.,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus_Bingen_45,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Papyrus_document_containing_signature_of_Cleopatra_VII_of_Egypt.jpg,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,33 BCE,low,yes,cursive (contested) — HOTLY DISPUTED (van Minnen/Zimmermann vs. Sarri/Bagnall) — may be a scribe's hand throughout.,https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/259138
+Oldest Signatures,6,Charlemagne,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signum_manus,Authenticated royal mark of the most important medieval Western ruler.,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signum_manus,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Charlemagne_autograph.svg/960px-Charlemagne_autograph.svg.png,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,c. 769–814 CE,low,yes,seal monogram — Monogram device drawn by scribes; Charlemagne may have added only the central stroke. Not cursive.,https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/464278
+Oldest Signatures,7,Pope Leo IX,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rota_(papal_signature),"First pope to adopt the rota, the standard papal authentication for centuries.",https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rota_(papal_signature),https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ep/web-large/LC-33_92ab-Primary_Temp.jpg,The Met — Open Access (public domain artifact),Public domain,The Crucifixion; The Last Judgment,yes,c. 1049–1054 CE,low,yes,"seal device (rota) — Chancery-drawn symbol, not cursive handwriting.",https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436282
+Oldest Signatures,8,El Cid (Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar),https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Cid,Widely called the oldest surviving handwritten cursive autograph of a famous named individual.,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Cid,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Signature_of_El_Cid.svg/960px-Signature_of_El_Cid.svg.png,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,1098 CE,low,yes,true cursive autograph — A genuine cursive Latin subscription — the first 'true autograph' tier in this list.,https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/466191
+Oldest Signatures,9,Isabella I of Castile,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_I_of_Castile,Her 'Yo la Reina' authorized the European encounter with the Americas.,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_I_of_Castile,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Isabella_I_of_Castile_Signature.svg/960px-Isabella_I_of_Castile_Signature.svg.png,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,c. 1474–1504 CE,low,yes,true cursive autograph — Genuine cursive autograph.,https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/207259
+Oldest Signatures,10,Michelangelo Buonarroti,https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Signatures_of_Michelangelo_Buonarroti,The Pietà is the only artwork he ever signed.,https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Signatures_of_Michelangelo_Buonarroti,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Michelangelo_Signature2.svg/960px-Michelangelo_Signature2.svg.png,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,1499 CE,low,yes,carved + cursive — Pietà signature is carved marble; handwritten letter signatures also survive.,https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435844
+Oldest Signatures,11,Leonardo da Vinci,https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Signatures_of_Leonardo_da_Vinci,"Rare autographs from the defining Renaissance polymath, who seldom signed paintings.",https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Signatures_of_Leonardo_da_Vinci,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Leonardo_Da_Vinci_signature_from_Forster_codex.svg/960px-Leonardo_Da_Vinci_signature_from_Forster_codex.svg.png,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,c. 1487–1519 CE,low,yes,true cursive autograph — Wrote in mirror-script; 19+ signature files on Commons.,https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/337494
+Oldest Signatures,12,Albrecht Dürer,https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Monogram_of_Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer,First artist's trademark defended in court — the pioneer of artistic copyright.,https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Monogram_of_Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer_Monogramm.svg/960px-Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer_Monogramm.svg.png,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,c. 1494–1528 CE,low,yes,monogram mark — A device/brand mark plus a cursive hand in letters.,https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436243
+Oldest Signatures,13,Christopher Columbus,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus,One of history's most mysterious signatures — a cipher he ordered his heirs to keep using.,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Columbus_Signature.svg/960px-Columbus_Signature.svg.png,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,c. 1493–1506 CE,low,yes,true cursive autograph (sigla) — Upper tiers of the cipher remain unresolved.,https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/466311
+Oldest Signatures,14,Henry VIII of England,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_of_Henry_VIII,Among the most collected and most forged royal autographs in history.,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_of_Henry_VIII,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/HenryVIIISig.svg/960px-HenryVIIISig.svg.png,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,c. 1509–1547 CE,low,yes,true cursive autograph — A dry-stamp device was used in his final illness; beware fakes.,https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/23939
+Oldest Signatures,15,Martin Luther,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther,Autograph letters among the most consequential documents of the Reformation.,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Martin_Luther_Signature.svg/960px-Martin_Luther_Signature.svg.png,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,c. 1517–1546 CE,low,yes,true cursive autograph — Signed 'Martinus LütheR D' with a raised-R flourish.,https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436037
+Oldest Signatures,16,Queen Elizabeth I,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England,One of the most recognizable autographs in English history.,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Autograph_of_Elizabeth_I_of_England.svg/960px-Autograph_of_Elizabeth_I_of_England.svg.png,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,c. 1544–1603 CE,low,yes,true cursive autograph — Distinctive humanist italic hand that evolved over her reign.,https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/22139
+Oldest Signatures,17,Galileo Galilei,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei,'Of the utmost rarity' — only a few authenticated specimens in private hands.,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Galileo_Galilei_Signature_2.svg/960px-Galileo_Galilei_Signature_2.svg.png,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,c. 1595–1642 CE,low,yes,true cursive autograph — Two signature SVGs confirmed on Commons.,https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/377877
+Oldest Signatures,18,William Shakespeare,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare%27s_handwriting,Only six authenticated signatures survive — none on any literary manuscript.,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare%27s_handwriting,https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/William_Shakespeare_Signature.svg/960px-William_Shakespeare_Signature.svg.png,Wikimedia Commons (signature),Public domain,,yes,1612–1616 CE,low,yes,true cursive autograph — Secretary-hand; he spelled his own name differently across the six.,https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/194067
diff --git a/data/celebrity_signatures.json b/data/celebrity_signatures.json
index 047f8de..43fc249 100644
--- a/data/celebrity_signatures.json
+++ b/data/celebrity_signatures.json
@@ -1978,5 +1978,329 @@
"usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
"notes": "Deceased — low publicity-rights risk [recategorized Sports→Politics 2026-06-19]",
"backup_source": "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Franklin_Roosevelt_Signature.svg"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 1,
+ "full_name": "GAR.AMA (Uruk scribe)",
+ "wikidata": "https://www.schoyencollection.com/scribes-collection/scribal-training/lexical-list-oldest-autograph-ms-2494-4",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "Cited by the Schøyen Collection as the earliest extant autograph signature — a named scribe signing a lexical list.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://www.schoyencollection.com/scribes-collection/scribal-training/lexical-list-oldest-autograph-ms-2494-4",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/an/web-large/DP293243.jpg",
+ "signature_source_type": "The Met — Open Access (public domain artifact)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "Proto-Cuneiform tablet with seal impressions: administrative account of barley distribution with cylinder seal impression of a male figure, hunting dogs, and boars",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 3100 BCE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "clay colophon — Scribal colophon impressed in wet clay, not cursive handwriting.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/329081"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 2,
+ "full_name": "Kushim (Uruk accountant)",
+ "wikidata": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushim_(Uruk_period)",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "Widely cited as the oldest recorded personal name in history — an accountant's mark on institutional barley receipts.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushim_(Uruk_period)",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/an/web-large/DP293243.jpg",
+ "signature_source_type": "The Met — Open Access (public domain artifact)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "Proto-Cuneiform tablet with seal impressions: administrative account of barley distribution with cylinder seal impression of a male figure, hunting dogs, and boars",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 3200–3000 BCE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "clay colophon — CONTESTED: 'Kushim' may be a title/office, not a person (Harari popularized it; Assyriologists are split). Impressed clay, not a handwritten autograph.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/329081"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 3,
+ "full_name": "Inspector Merer",
+ "wikidata": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diary_of_Merer",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "World's oldest surviving inscribed papyrus, written by a named first-person official.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diary_of_Merer",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/eg/web-large/10.177.2_EGDP018080.jpg",
+ "signature_source_type": "The Met — Open Access (public domain artifact)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "Composite Papyrus Capital",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 2560 BCE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "papyrus log — A first-person record, not a discrete signature.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/551898"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 4,
+ "full_name": "Enheduanna",
+ "wikidata": "https://www.worldhistory.org/Enheduanna/",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "Earliest known named author in literary history; signed her own literary colophons.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://www.worldhistory.org/Enheduanna/",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Disk_of_Enheduanna.JPG/960px-Disk_of_Enheduanna.JPG",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 2285–2250 BCE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "clay colophon — The disc is sculpted, not handwritten; surviving tablet copies postdate her by centuries (attribution debated).",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/329090"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 5,
+ "full_name": "Cleopatra VII",
+ "wikidata": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus_Bingen_45",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "Argued by some scholars to be the only surviving handwritten word by Cleopatra.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus_Bingen_45",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Papyrus_document_containing_signature_of_Cleopatra_VII_of_Egypt.jpg",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "33 BCE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "cursive (contested) — HOTLY DISPUTED (van Minnen/Zimmermann vs. Sarri/Bagnall) — may be a scribe's hand throughout.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/259138"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 6,
+ "full_name": "Charlemagne",
+ "wikidata": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signum_manus",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "Authenticated royal mark of the most important medieval Western ruler.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signum_manus",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Charlemagne_autograph.svg/960px-Charlemagne_autograph.svg.png",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 769–814 CE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "seal monogram — Monogram device drawn by scribes; Charlemagne may have added only the central stroke. Not cursive.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/464278"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 7,
+ "full_name": "Pope Leo IX",
+ "wikidata": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rota_(papal_signature)",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "First pope to adopt the rota, the standard papal authentication for centuries.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rota_(papal_signature)",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ep/web-large/LC-33_92ab-Primary_Temp.jpg",
+ "signature_source_type": "The Met — Open Access (public domain artifact)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "The Crucifixion; The Last Judgment",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 1049–1054 CE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "seal device (rota) — Chancery-drawn symbol, not cursive handwriting.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436282"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 8,
+ "full_name": "El Cid (Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar)",
+ "wikidata": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Cid",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "Widely called the oldest surviving handwritten cursive autograph of a famous named individual.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Cid",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Signature_of_El_Cid.svg/960px-Signature_of_El_Cid.svg.png",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "1098 CE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "true cursive autograph — A genuine cursive Latin subscription — the first 'true autograph' tier in this list.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/466191"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 9,
+ "full_name": "Isabella I of Castile",
+ "wikidata": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_I_of_Castile",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "Her 'Yo la Reina' authorized the European encounter with the Americas.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_I_of_Castile",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Isabella_I_of_Castile_Signature.svg/960px-Isabella_I_of_Castile_Signature.svg.png",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 1474–1504 CE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "true cursive autograph — Genuine cursive autograph.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/207259"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 10,
+ "full_name": "Michelangelo Buonarroti",
+ "wikidata": "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Signatures_of_Michelangelo_Buonarroti",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "The Pietà is the only artwork he ever signed.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Signatures_of_Michelangelo_Buonarroti",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Michelangelo_Signature2.svg/960px-Michelangelo_Signature2.svg.png",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "1499 CE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "carved + cursive — Pietà signature is carved marble; handwritten letter signatures also survive.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435844"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 11,
+ "full_name": "Leonardo da Vinci",
+ "wikidata": "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Signatures_of_Leonardo_da_Vinci",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "Rare autographs from the defining Renaissance polymath, who seldom signed paintings.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Signatures_of_Leonardo_da_Vinci",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Leonardo_Da_Vinci_signature_from_Forster_codex.svg/960px-Leonardo_Da_Vinci_signature_from_Forster_codex.svg.png",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 1487–1519 CE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "true cursive autograph — Wrote in mirror-script; 19+ signature files on Commons.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/337494"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 12,
+ "full_name": "Albrecht Dürer",
+ "wikidata": "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Monogram_of_Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "First artist's trademark defended in court — the pioneer of artistic copyright.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Monogram_of_Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer_Monogramm.svg/960px-Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer_Monogramm.svg.png",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 1494–1528 CE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "monogram mark — A device/brand mark plus a cursive hand in letters.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436243"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 13,
+ "full_name": "Christopher Columbus",
+ "wikidata": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "One of history's most mysterious signatures — a cipher he ordered his heirs to keep using.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Columbus_Signature.svg/960px-Columbus_Signature.svg.png",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 1493–1506 CE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "true cursive autograph (sigla) — Upper tiers of the cipher remain unresolved.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/466311"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 14,
+ "full_name": "Henry VIII of England",
+ "wikidata": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_of_Henry_VIII",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "Among the most collected and most forged royal autographs in history.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_of_Henry_VIII",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/HenryVIIISig.svg/960px-HenryVIIISig.svg.png",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 1509–1547 CE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "true cursive autograph — A dry-stamp device was used in his final illness; beware fakes.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/23939"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 15,
+ "full_name": "Martin Luther",
+ "wikidata": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "Autograph letters among the most consequential documents of the Reformation.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Martin_Luther_Signature.svg/960px-Martin_Luther_Signature.svg.png",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 1517–1546 CE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "true cursive autograph — Signed 'Martinus LütheR D' with a raised-R flourish.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436037"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 16,
+ "full_name": "Queen Elizabeth I",
+ "wikidata": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "One of the most recognizable autographs in English history.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Autograph_of_Elizabeth_I_of_England.svg/960px-Autograph_of_Elizabeth_I_of_England.svg.png",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 1544–1603 CE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "true cursive autograph — Distinctive humanist italic hand that evolved over her reign.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/22139"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 17,
+ "full_name": "Galileo Galilei",
+ "wikidata": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "'Of the utmost rarity' — only a few authenticated specimens in private hands.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Galileo_Galilei_Signature_2.svg/960px-Galileo_Galilei_Signature_2.svg.png",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "c. 1595–1642 CE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "true cursive autograph — Two signature SVGs confirmed on Commons.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/377877"
+ },
+ {
+ "category": "Oldest Signatures",
+ "rank": 18,
+ "full_name": "William Shakespeare",
+ "wikidata": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare%27s_handwriting",
+ "reason_for_ranking": "Only six authenticated signatures survive — none on any literary manuscript.",
+ "ranking_source_urls": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare%27s_handwriting",
+ "signature_image_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/William_Shakespeare_Signature.svg/960px-William_Shakespeare_Signature.svg.png",
+ "signature_source_type": "Wikimedia Commons (signature)",
+ "image_license": "Public domain",
+ "image_author": "",
+ "deceased": "yes",
+ "death_date": "1612–1616 CE",
+ "risk_level": "low",
+ "usable_in_commercial_collage": "yes",
+ "notes": "true cursive autograph — Secretary-hand; he spelled his own name differently across the six.",
+ "backup_source": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/194067"
}
]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/data/murals-catalog.json b/data/murals-catalog.json
index 567e81f..bad0cfb 100644
--- a/data/murals-catalog.json
+++ b/data/murals-catalog.json
@@ -10,6 +10,13 @@
},
"material": "Archival matte non-woven wallcovering, printed to order",
"murals": [
+ {
+ "code": "o",
+ "slug": "oldest-signatures",
+ "title": "Oldest Signatures in History",
+ "blurb": "From the earliest cuneiform scribal marks (c. 3100 BCE) to the Renaissance — the oldest signatures known, paired with public-domain artifacts from The Met.",
+ "sigs": 18
+ },
{
"code": "d",
"slug": "declaration-of-independence",
diff --git a/output/collage-oldest-signatures-named.png b/output/collage-oldest-signatures-named.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cf86d68
Binary files /dev/null and b/output/collage-oldest-signatures-named.png differ
diff --git a/output/collage-oldest-signatures.png b/output/collage-oldest-signatures.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..29c3b35
Binary files /dev/null and b/output/collage-oldest-signatures.png differ
diff --git a/public/index.html b/public/index.html
index ac48702..cca09ff 100644
--- a/public/index.html
+++ b/public/index.html
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ function render() {
let rows = DATA.filter(r => (prefs.cat==='All' || r.category===prefs.cat)
&& (prefs.use==='all' || r.usable_in_commercial_collage===prefs.use));
- const cats = ['Declaration of Independence','Politics'];
+ const cats = ['Oldest Signatures','Declaration of Independence','Politics'];
const sorters = {
cat: (a,b) => cats.indexOf(a.category)-cats.indexOf(b.category) || a.rank-b.rank,
name: (a,b) => a.full_name.localeCompare(b.full_name),
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ function render() {
}
function buildChips() {
- const cats = ['All','Declaration of Independence','Politics'];
+ const cats = ['All','Oldest Signatures','Declaration of Independence','Politics'];
$('#catChips').innerHTML = cats.map(c => `<span class="chip${c===prefs.cat?' on':''}" data-c="${c}">${c}</span>`).join('');
$('#catChips').onclick = (e) => { const c=e.target.dataset.c; if(!c) return; prefs.cat=c; save();
document.querySelectorAll('.chip').forEach(x=>x.classList.toggle('on', x.dataset.c===c)); render(); };
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ const slug = (s) => s.toLowerCase().replace(/[^a-z0-9]+/g,'-').replace(/^-|-$/g,
let collagesBuilt = false;
function buildCollages() {
if (collagesBuilt) return; collagesBuilt = true;
- const order = ['Declaration of Independence','Politics'];
+ const order = ['Oldest Signatures','Declaration of Independence','Politics'];
const usable = {}; DATA.forEach(r => { if(r.usable_in_commercial_collage==='yes') usable[r.category]=(usable[r.category]||0)+1; });
const cats = [...new Set([...order, ...Object.keys(usable)])].filter(c => order.includes(c) || usable[c]);
$('#collagesView').innerHTML = cats.map(c => {
diff --git a/public/murals.html b/public/murals.html
index d0c9d9f..0c9e0c4 100644
--- a/public/murals.html
+++ b/public/murals.html
@@ -227,6 +227,7 @@ let pos = {x:0, y:0}; // mural top-left in FEET on the wall
// signature archive (powers the consensus components: finder, roster, provenance)
const CATEGORY_OF = {
+ 'oldest-signatures':'Oldest Signatures',
'declaration-of-independence':'Declaration of Independence', 'politics':'Politics',
'sports':'Sports', 'hollywood':'Hollywood', 'movies-classic':'Movies (Classic)', 'tv':'TV'
};
diff --git a/server.js b/server.js
index d98b54b..2efeabe 100644
--- a/server.js
+++ b/server.js
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ createServer(async (req, res) => {
if (path === '/account.js') path = '/public/account.js';
if (path === '/api/signatures') path = '/data/celebrity_signatures.json';
if (path === '/api/murals-catalog') path = '/data/murals-catalog.json';
- const SHORT = { d: 'declaration-of-independence', p: 'politics', s: 'sports', h: 'hollywood', c: 'movies-classic', t: 'tv' };
+ const SHORT = { d: 'declaration-of-independence', p: 'politics', s: 'sports', h: 'hollywood', c: 'movies-classic', t: 'tv', o: 'oldest-signatures' };
const km = path.match(/^\/k\/([a-z0-9-]+)$/);
if (km) path = `/output/collage-${SHORT[km[1]] || km[1]}-named.png`;
← 57c16d5 add 'Oldest Signatures in History' research dataset, spreads
·
back to CelebritySignatures
·
add 27 themed signature murals (Wikidata P109 sigs + Met PD 5af58db →