Experts from the Department of Forensics at the University of Warsaw (UW) and the Polish Criminal Society (PTK) have completed forensic research on Fryderyk Chopin’s manuscripts from the collection of the F. Chopin Museum in Warsaw. Researchers studied how the handwriting changed during the composer’s life and what factors could have influenced it.

Thanks to the research of forensic experts from the University of Warsaw, PTK and the Museum, Fryderyk Chopin’s handwriting graphic patterns were created. Previously, it was difficult to establish the authenticity of the documents related to the composer, as there was no catalog of features and graphic properties typical for F. Chopin’s writing.

The forensic research shows that over the years the composer had simplified the structure of the letters, including the disappearance of decorative elements and the so-called initial and final adjustments in capital letters. Considering his signatures, there is a change from developed and legible signatures and frequent use of abbreviated signatures to even illegible ones – said Prof. Tadeusz Tomaszewski the project manager from the Department of Forensics, University of Warsaw.