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Signature of Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton

A handwritten autograph signature of Isaac Newton, reading 'Is. Newton'.

This is Newton's own handwritten signature, used to verify his authorship of documents.

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Black ink handwritten signature on white background, reading 'Is. Newton' with a flourished capital I and S, a small period after the S and a degree-like mark after Newton.
Signature of Isaac Newton.

About this source

What it is

This image shows Isaac Newton's handwritten signature, reading 'Is. Newton' in black ink, with a decorative capital letter. It is used as a reference example of his handwriting.

Why it matters

Signatures like this one help historians identify and compare Newton's handwriting across his many letters, notebooks and manuscripts. As a simple personal mark, it is a direct physical trace of Newton himself, distinct from any printed or painted image of him.

Look closer

  • What does the style of the handwriting suggest about the period it comes from?
  • Why is a signature useful evidence for historians studying a person's life and work?
  • What can't a signature alone tell us about a person?

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

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Title page of the 1687 first edition of Newton's Principia. Large capitals read PHILOSOPHIÆ NATURALIS PRINCIPIA MATHEMATICA, with author credit, Imprimatur by S. Pepys, dated Julii 5, 1686, and London printing by Josephi Streater, Anno MDCLXXXVII.Book

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Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica

Isaac Newton · 1687

Title page with a page number marked [1] at top, reading PHILOSOPHIAE NATURALIS Principia MATHEMATICA, followed by the heading Definitiones and Def. I, with a Latin definition of quantity of matter in italic type. Faint bleed-through text from the reverse page is visible.Book

Primary source

Principia Mathematica, Page 1: Definitions

Isaac Newton · 1687

Black-and-white line engraving of an elderly man with long, wavy white hair seated in a dark armchair, wearing a dark coat, waistcoat, and white cravat, with his hands resting on his knee. A column appears at the right. Inscribed beneath: 'ISAACUS NEWTON EQ. AUR. ÆT. 83', with 'I. Vanderbank pinxit 1725' at lower left and 'Geo. Vertue Sculpsit 1726' at lower right.Painting

Primary source

Sir Isaac Newton, line engraving by Vertue, 1726

George Vertue · 1726

Engraved diagram on a cream page within a book, showing a curved comet path from Sol at left, with dated positions such as Nov. 25, Dec. 12, Jan. 5 and Mar. 5, labeled orbit lines and a sphere intersection line.Document

Primary source

Principia Mathematica, Fold-out Diagram

Isaac Newton · 1687

Engraved portrait of Sir Isaac Newton, a man with long curled wig and dark robe, bust-length, against a shaded background. Caption below reads 'SIR ISAAC NEWTON' and publisher 'William Collins Glasgow & London'.Painting

Primary source

Sir Isaac Newton, stipple engraving by J. Scott after Kneller, 1702

J. Scott, after Sir Godfrey Kneller · 1702 (print made later)

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