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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1829

Jeremy Bentham

Henry William Pickersgill · c. 1829

An oil portrait of the elderly Jeremy Bentham, painted around 1829, showing him as an established philosopher late in life.

A life portrait of Bentham in old age, showing how he was depicted as a leading philosopher and reformer.

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Full-length oil portrait of an elderly man with long white hair, seated in a carved wooden armchair in a dark brown fur-trimmed robe over a white shirt. A table at left holds leather-bound books, an inkwell, papers, and a rolled document against a dark background.
Henry William Pickersgill, Jeremy Bentham, c. 1829. National Portrait Gallery.

About this source

What it is

This is a full-length oil portrait of Jeremy Bentham painted by Henry William Pickersgill, held by the National Portrait Gallery. It shows Bentham as an elderly man.

Why it matters

This portrait, made near the end of Bentham's life, is the defining image of him as an older man and leading figure among the Philosophical Radicals, a group of reformers he influenced. It shows how Bentham was seen and presented in his later years, surrounded by the tools of his intellectual work such as books and papers.

Look closer

  • What details in the painting, such as the books and papers, suggest how Bentham wanted to be remembered?
  • Why might an artist choose to paint a philosopher seated with his writing materials rather than in another setting?
  • What does this portrait not tell you about Bentham's ideas or actions?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Jeremy Bentham on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. Text reads: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PRINCIPLES OF MORALS AND LEGISLATION, printed in the year 1780 and now first published, by Jeremy Bentham, of Lincoln's Inn, Esquire. London: printed for T. Payne and Son, at the Mews Gate, MDCCLXXXIX.Book

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An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation

Jeremy Bentham · 1789 (printed 1780)

Title page of Jeremy Bentham's 'Panopticon; or, The Inspection-House' (1791), showing the title, subtitle listing penitentiary houses and schools, author 'By Jeremy Bentham, of Lincoln's Inn, Esquire', and imprint 'Dublin, Printed; London, reprinted; and sold by T. Payne, at the Mews Gate. 1791'.Book

Primary source

Panopticon; or, The Inspection-House

Jeremy Bentham · 1791 (letters written 1787)

Wooden cabinet case with gold lettering reading JEREMY BENTHAM, its doors open, containing a seated figure dressed in black coat, white cravat, grey trousers and a straw hat, with a wax head. The display is in a tiled hallway.Artifact

Primary source

Auto-icon of Jeremy Bentham

Thomas Southwood Smith · 1832

Dark blue cloth book cover with a white rectangular library label on the left spine area reading Trinity College Library, with a barcode and number 31761 02710574 1 printed vertically.Book

Primary source

A Fragment on Government

Jeremy Bentham · 1776

Black-and-white photograph of a circular bronze medallion in profile relief showing an elderly man facing left, with a balding forehead, long hair swept back, a prominent nose, and a signature inscribed on the right edge.Sculpture

Primary source

Jeremy Bentham Portrait Medallion

David d'Angers

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