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Secondary sourcePainting

John Locke, Mezzotint after Godfrey Kneller

Godfrey Kneller

A mezzotint portrait of John Locke based on a painting by Godfrey Kneller, showing his likeness as later reproduced in print.

This print reproduces Kneller's painted portrait of Locke, shaping how his image was remembered.

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Sepia-toned mezzotint portrait of a man with long wavy hair, wearing a loose coat and open collar, turning slightly to his left within an oval frame of foliage. A cartouche at the bottom reads 'John Locke Esq.' with inscriptions in the lower corners.
John Locke. Mezzotint after Sir G. Kneller. Wellcome Collection, London.

About this source

What it is

This sepia-toned mezzotint shows John Locke with long wavy hair, turning slightly to one side within an oval frame. It was made after a painted portrait by Godfrey Kneller and is held by the Wellcome Collection, London.

Why it matters

Godfrey Kneller painted many leading figures of his time, and his portrait of Locke became the basis for later reproductions like this one. Such prints helped fix how later generations imagined Locke's appearance.

Look closer

  • What details in the clothing and pose suggest the status of the sitter?
  • Why do you think artists kept copying Kneller's portrait rather than painting new ones?
  • What is lost when a painted portrait is turned into a black-and-white print?

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

More John Locke sources

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Title page of the 1690 London edition of Two Treatises of Government, printed in black letter and roman type in a bordered frame, reading 'Two Treatises of Government... an Essay concerning the True Original, Extent, and End of Civil Government', printed for Awnsham Churchill at the Black Swan in Ave-Mary-Lane, by Amen-Corner, 1690.Book

Primary source

Two Treatises of Government

John Locke · 1689 (dated 1690)

Title page of the 1690 first edition of An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. Large capitals read 'AN ESSAY CONCERNING Humane Understanding. In Four Books.' A Latin epigraph from Cicero follows, then a printer's ornament and the imprint 'LONDON: Printed for Tho. Basset, and sold by Edw. Mory at the Sign of the Three Bibles in St. Paul's Church-Yard. MDCXC.'Book

Primary source

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

John Locke · 1689 (dated 1690)

Title page of A Letter Concerning Toleration. Large capitals read 'A LETTER', then 'CONCERNING', then 'Toleration: Humbly Submitted, &c.' Below: 'LICENSED, October 3, 1689', then 'LONDON, Printed for Awnsham Churchill, at the Black Swan at Amen-Corner. 1689.' Faint reprint copyright text in background.Letter

Primary source

A Letter Concerning Toleration

John Locke · written 1685-1686, published 1689

Engraved oval portrait of a man with long wavy hair, wearing a loose dark gown over a white collared shirt, set in an ornate oval frame atop a pedestal bearing a coat of arms. Inscription below reads 'Effigies Iohannis Locke' with a Latin line beneath, plus artist credits 'G. Kneller Equ. pinxit 1697' and 'Geo. Vertue Sculp. 1722'.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of John Locke, frontispiece to Works

George Vertue, after Sir Godfrey Kneller · 1722

Black and white line engraving of a man with long wavy hair in a dark oval frame, wearing a loose coat over a white shirt. Below are books and a cartouche reading 'JOHN LOCKE Esq.' with a caption engraved for the Universal Magazine 1749.Painting

Secondary source

John Locke, Line Engraving after Kneller, 1749

Godfrey Kneller · 1749

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