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Primary sourcePainting1726

Sir Isaac Newton, line engraving by Vertue, 1726

George Vertue · 1726

An engraving of Newton made during his lifetime, showing him seated as an elderly man of 83.

A lifetime engraving of Newton, showing how he was portrayed near the end of his life.

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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.
George Vertue, Sir Isaac Newton (after John Vanderbank), line engraving, 1726. Wellcome Collection.

About this source

What it is

This is a line engraving made in 1726 by George Vertue, copying an earlier portrait painted by John Vanderbank in 1725. It shows Isaac Newton seated in an armchair, dressed in a dark coat with a white cravat. It is held today by the Wellcome Collection in the United Kingdom.

Why it matters

Because it was made while Newton was still alive, this print shows how he wished to be seen near the end of his life, aged 83. Engravings like this were copied and sold widely, helping spread the image of famous scholars such as Newton across Britain and Europe.

Look closer

  • What does Newton's pose and clothing suggest about his status in society?
  • Why might an artist base a print on an earlier painting rather than drawing Newton directly?
  • What is left out of a formal portrait like this that a photograph might show?

This painting 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

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Principia Mathematica, Page 1: Definitions

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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

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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)

Title page of the 1704 first edition of Newton's Opticks. Red and black letters read 'OPTICKS: OR, A TREATISE OF THE REFLEXIONS, REFRACTIONS, INFLEXIONS and COLOURS OF LIGHT', followed by 'Also Two Treatises of the Species and Magnitude of Curvilinear Figures'. Imprint: London, printed for Sam. Smith and Benj. Walford, MDCCIV.Book

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Opticks, or a Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections and Colours of Light

Isaac Newton · 1704

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