KOMA-Script (scrartcl+scrletter): Adjust spacing of signature with "\includegraphics{..}" from closing

Question

It seems that the KOMA package scrletter (used with the class scrartcl) ensures that there is vertical space between the output of the \closing{..} and where the KOMA variable signature is used and this "extra" space is added even if a signature is added via e.g. \includegraphics{signature}; How can I get rid of this space in this case?:

The code which produced the above is:

\documentclass{scrartcl}
\usepackage{scrletter}
% Package import declarations
\usepackage{graphicx}   % Include graphics for LaTeX

% Document settings
\begin{document}
\setkomavar{signature}{\includegraphics[width=3cm]{585px-Abraham_Lincoln_1862_signature}\\Abraham Lincoln}
%\setkomavar{signature}{Abraham Lincoln}

\setkomavar{subject}{Application for candidacy for the Republican primaries}


\begin{letter}{Illinois Republican Party\\
Chicago Office\\
P.O.\ Box 64897 \\
Chicago, IL 60664}

\opening{To whom it may concern:}

I would hereby like to propose myself as a presidential candidate for the Republican Party because I love freedom and bald eagles and I hate slavery and stuff like that.

\closing{Yours sincerely,}

\end{letter}
\end{document}

Answer 1

Change the pseudolength sigbeforevskip (default is 2\baselineskip) to your needs.

Example:

\makeatletter
\@setplength{sigbeforevskip}{.5\baselineskip}
\makeatother

Code:

\documentclass{scrartcl}
\usepackage{scrletter}
% Package import declarations
\usepackage{graphicx}   % Include graphics for LaTeX

\makeatletter
\@setplength{sigbeforevskip}{.5\baselineskip}
\makeatother

% Document settings
\begin{document}
\setkomavar{signature}{\includegraphics[width=3cm,height=\baselineskip]{example-image-A}\\Max Mustermann}
%\setkomavar{signature}{Abraham Lincoln}

\setkomavar{subject}{Application for candidacy for the Republican primaries}


\begin{letter}{Illinois Republican Party\\
Chicago Office\\
P.O.\ Box 64897 \\
Chicago, IL 60664}

\opening{To whom it may concern:}

I would hereby like to propose myself as a presidential candidate for the Republican Party because I love freedom and bald eagles and I hate slavery and stuff like that.

\closing{Yours sincerely,}

\end{letter}
\end{document}

---

EDIT

Meanwhile (since version 3.26.2980, ~ since 2019) there is the "userspace"-command \setplength so that it reduces to:

\setplength{sigbeforevskip}{.5\baselineskip}