Knack for spotting the hand of genius
By Jon Ashworth
Our correspondent makes a note never to underestimate graphology.
IN THE 1920s Henry Grunfeld, the co-founder of SG Warburg, discovered that someone was helping themselves to the petty cash at his family firm in Germany. He enlisted the help of a handwriting expert, who promptly identified the culprit.
Graphologists insist that they can tell whether someone is a liar, an alcoholic or a crook, just by looking at their handwriting.
Siegmund Warburg shared Grunfeld’s interest and formalised it when the pair created SG Warburg in London in 1946. The bank used graphology for assessing job candidates until the mid-1990s. Applicants had to submit samples of handwriting as the final step before being accepted for a position.
Grunfeld remained convinced of the merits of graphology until his death in 1999 at the age of 95. “There is not one case in 60 years where the graphologist has said something that turns out to be wrong,” he told an interviewer. “The practice is regarded as odd in Britain but it’s widespread in Germany, Switzerland and France.”
'People can be shocked and suprised at how I get to the nub of the personality'
Merrill Lynch and Lazards have both resorted to graphology. It has been used by Leopold Joseph, the private bank, and Hiscox, the Lloyd’s underwriter. Robert Hiscox, founder of the underwriting firm, has described handwriting analysis as “an incredibly accurate judge of a person’s character”.
Baring Securities tried it in the early 1990s. Emma Bache, a graphologist used by Barings, likes to think that she would have detected something amiss with Nick Leeson, the Singapore-based rogue trader. Sadly, she never got the chance to inspect his handwriting. Bache, 39, is one of about 100 graphologists in the UK. She is regularly used by firms seeking a different “take” on whether someone will make a good employee or is management material. Few firms admit to using graphologists, perhaps fearing ridicule, but it is a craft that has won a loyal following.
A number of universities in Europe offer courses in graphology, typically as an adjunct to psychology.
Bache, married to a photographer, and with two young children, often finds herself cast as a roving entertainer at dinner parties. But there is a serious side to her work. She carries out assessments for firms and companies and has analysed celebrities including Sting, Brian Ferry and Sir Richard Branson.
Sir Richard used to employ graphologists on his Virgin Atlantic 747s. His handwriting became a talking point during one of the most hard-fought legal cases of the 1990s — the High Court libel clash with Guy Snowden, co-founder of GTech, the American lottery supplier.
Sir Richard claimed that Snowden tried to bribe him to stay out of the race for the UK lottery licence. The Virgin tycoon recorded the incident in his notebook and the notes featured in the trial. Sir Richard duly emerged victorious.
Bache says of Sir Richard: “As soon as I saw his handwriting, I saw someone steeped in success. He’s completely dogged in his determination to get to the top and completely unyielding. He’s unbending in his convictions.”
Bache has inspected the handwriting of Monica Lewinsky, sometime friend of President Clinton. Her appraisal read: “Ambitious and selfcentred but needs the approval of other people. Very intuitive. Can be calculating when dealing with individuals. Not obviously strong on charm but determined to get what she wants and stubborn with it. A dangerous adversary.”
Bache learnt her craft in the Eighties, taking a three-year course in graphology. The syllabus broke down into technical analysis, psychology and applied graphology. After working as an entertainer in the early 1990s, Bache branched out into working for City firms. Banks submit samples from prospective employees or management candidates. “No one aspect of the handwriting is important,” she says. “I’m looking at size, spacing, the shape, the pressure — which is why it’s nice to see the original, not a photocopy.”
Preparing a full report for a company can take a day. “It might be assessment of their own people, restructuring the company, or an applicant for a job,” Bache says. “There are a few things that I can’t tell and it’s usually the things people are surprised about. I can’t tell whether somebody’s right or left-handed. I really cannot tell for sure whether it’s a man or a woman. I can’t tell the age of someone.”
She adds: “Sometimes, the handwriting looks very vibrant, vital and young, and you find out it’s been written by a 75-year-old. Conversely, you think you’ve spotted somebody quite elderly, and they’re in their 30s.”
City firms aside, Bache has worked for CB Hillier Parker, the commercial property consultant, and Allders, the department stores operator.
In analysing City workers or businessmen, Bache is seeking a rounded portrait. “I’m obviously going to touch on their
'People said that Mrs Thatcher was a tyrant but I never saw that in her handwriting'
professional life and how I feel that they behave under those circumstances and the quality they bring to work. But also the more personal qualities; a side to them people wouldn’t normally see. With people who put all their energies into work, often it is the personal side which suffers. They can’t get close to people personally; don’t want to get emotionally involved.”
Handwriting often reveals surprises. Bache once unleashed her black art on a media baron and concluded that he had a surprisingly well developed sense of humour. “People said that Mrs Thatcher was a tyrant who never listened to advice, but I never saw that in her handwriting. I just saw someone who was determined and self-confident.”
She adds: “I think people can be shocked and surprised at how quickly I get to the nub of the personality without meeting them. Or the depth I can go into, or explain why they behave in such a way.”
In assessing candidates for jobs or promotion, graphology exposes some basic character traits. Bache says: “It brings out things like whether they can keep their mouth shut and how they get on with other people in the office. With somebody who’s intrinsically dishonest, there will be a very definite sign. I can tell if somebody’s not well and can tell the difference between mental and physical problems.”
Handwriting can supposedly reveal whether someone has a drink problem or is suffering from depression.
Psychologists tend to ridicule graphology, claiming it has no merit, but Bache insists her appraisals are consistently accurate. “I never feel I’ve got it completely wrong. I suppose one in ten people might pick me up on one particular aspect of their personality.”
Bache charges £200 an hour for parties and between £250 and £400 for written reports. Even when she’s not officially working, her services are always in demand.
“One very irritating thing about my job is that it never seems to end. I’ll be invited to a party as a guest, and quite often I’m used as a performing monkey.”