Skip to main content

Primary sourcePainting1720 (after Kneller's portrait)

Sir Isaac Newton, stipple engraving by T. Phillibrown after Kneller, 1720

T. Phillibrown, after Sir Godfrey Kneller · 1720 (after Kneller's portrait)

An engraving of Newton made around 1720, copying Godfrey Kneller's portrait, published with his death date noted.

An engraving copying Kneller's portrait of Newton, later captioned with his death year.

Ask Isaac Newton about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Engraved portrait of Sir Isaac Newton in a long curled wig, white cravat, and dark robe with buttoned cuffs, resting one hand on a table. Caption below reads 'SIR ISAAC NEWTON' and 'OB. 1727'.
T. Phillibrown, Sir Isaac Newton (after Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1702), stipple engraving, 1720. Wellcome Collection.

About this source

What it is

This stipple engraving by T. Phillibrown, dated 1720, reproduces an earlier portrait of Isaac Newton by Sir Godfrey Kneller. It shows Newton in a long curled wig and dark robe, resting a hand on a table. It is held by the Wellcome Collection.

Why it matters

The print carries a caption noting Newton's death year, suggesting this version was printed or captioned after he died, even though it copies a portrait from his lifetime. This shows how images of famous scientists kept being reproduced and updated for new audiences after their deaths.

Look closer

  • Why might a print add the words 'OB. 1727' (meaning he died in that year) if the portrait itself is older?
  • What does Newton's pose, resting a hand on a table, suggest about the image the engraver wanted to create?
  • How can prints like this one both preserve and reshape the memory of a historical figure?

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.

More Isaac Newton sources

Meet the AI Isaac Newton →
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

Primary source

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)

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Isaac Newton now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions