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Secondary sourcePainting

Thomas Hobbes Stipple Engraving after William Dobson

J. Posselwhite, after William Dobson

A later stipple engraving of Hobbes copied from a portrait painting by William Dobson held by the Royal Society.

A later print copy of a painted portrait of Hobbes once owned by the Royal Society.

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Sepia-toned printed page with a dark oval-framed stipple engraving of a man with long grey hair, a moustache, and a white collar over a dark coat. Below are the captions 'HOBBES', 'From a Picture by Dobson in the possession of The Royal Society', and publisher credits.
Thomas Hobbes, stipple engraving by J. Posselwhite after a painting by William Dobson, Royal Society collection.

About this source

What it is

This is a stipple engraving portrait of Thomas Hobbes made by J. Posselwhite, copying an earlier painted portrait by William Dobson that belonged to the Royal Society.

Why it matters

The print preserves the appearance of Dobson's original painting for a wider audience through printmaking. It shows how images of thinkers like Hobbes were copied and recirculated long after their lifetimes, shaping how later generations pictured him.

  • How might copying a painting into a print change small details of the original?
  • Why would the Royal Society have owned a portrait of Hobbes?
  • What can we and can't we learn about Hobbes's real appearance from a copy like this?

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.

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Engraved title page of Hobbes's Leviathan: a giant crowned figure made of many tiny people holds a sword and crozier over a landscape of hills and a city. Below, a central banner bears the title and author's name, flanked by vignettes of castle, church, crown, mitre, cannon, weapons, battle, and a council.Book

Primary source

Leviathan

Thomas Hobbes · 1651

Engraved frontispiece of the 1642 Paris edition of Hobbes's De Cive. Top panel shows a crowded scene of figures in clouds and a fiery landscape with a winged angel and a group of people. Bottom panel has a central banner titled Elementorum Philosophiae Sectio Tertia De Cive with Latin text, flanked by a crowned female figure holding scales labeled Imperium and a figure with a bow and spear labeled Libertas, with a landscape and the word Religio across the middle.Book

Primary source

De Cive

Thomas Hobbes · 1642

Line engraving portrait of Thomas Hobbes, a man with long wavy hair, a large white collar, and dark robes, shown in an oval frame inscribed with his name in Latin. Below is a Latin inscription and the printer's line 'London, Printed for Will. Crooke'.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Thomas Hobbes, Line Engraving

Book

Primary source

The Elements of Law

Thomas Hobbes · 1640

Engraved title page reading 'The Workes of Homer Engl: by T: Hobbes', with a bust of Homer above, two armoured warriors with spears flanking the title, and an oval portrait of Hobbes below. Imprint reads London, printed for W. Crooke, 1677.Artifact

Secondary source

Title Page of The Workes of Homer, Translated by Thomas Hobbes

1677

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