Secondary sourcePainting1839

Thomas Hobbes Line Engraving by William Humphrys

William Humphrys · 1839

A 19th-century engraved portrait of Thomas Hobbes, made long after his death and based on an earlier image.

A later engraved likeness of Hobbes, made from an earlier portrait, used to spread his image to later generations.

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Line engraving portrait of a man with shoulder-length gray wavy hair, a white collar, and a dark coat, against a dark background. Printed caption below reads 'THOMAS HOBBES', 'W. Humphrys sc', and 'London, Published March 1st 1839, by John Bohn, 11, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden'. — Thomas Hobbes, line engraving by William Humphrys, 1839, published by John Bohn, London.

About this source

What it is

This is a line engraving portrait of Thomas Hobbes made by William Humphrys in 1839, published in London by John Bohn. It shows Hobbes with long wavy hair and a plain collar.

Why it matters

Because it was made more than a century and a half after Hobbes's death, this print is not a direct record of his appearance but a later copy, likely based on an earlier portrait. Such prints helped spread images of famous thinkers to new generations of readers.

How reliable can a portrait be if it was made so long after its subject lived?
What does the publisher's information at the bottom tell us about how this image was made and sold?
Why might someone in 1839 want a portrait of Hobbes?

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