Joseph Kyselak (1798-1831), born in Vienna and working as a clerk in the Imperial and Royal Court Chamber, spent every spare moment hiking and is considered the world’s first graffiti tagger. In 1825, he hiked through the Austrian Empire,  driven by a love of nature and a thirst for knowledge.

He was known for leaving his name in large, memorable letters: i·KYSELAK. His enigmatic activities fascinated people even during his lifetime, and he has never been forgotten. Every era has its Kyselak admirers, and over two centuries, an impressive body of artistic interpretations, newspaper articles, caricatures, and other tributes have accumulated.

Our project, begun in 2006, collects everything that can be found relating to Joseph Kyselak — especially the surviving signatures. We are documenting them and developing a strategy to protect them.

Initially supported by a research grant from the City of Vienna and by many helpers both in Austria and abroad, we have documented several previously unknown signatures. We have identified approximately 20 signatures, preserved, documented photographically, or found in contemporary artworks, that can be compared. Based on these examples, we have established criteria for assessing the authenticity of the signatures.