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Primary sourcePainting1834

Thomas Robert Malthus

John Linnell · 1834

A mezzotint portrait of Malthus made in his lifetime, shortly before his death.

A lifelike portrait of Malthus made shortly before his death, showing how he appeared to contemporaries.

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Monochrome mezzotint portrait of an older man with curly light hair seated in a chair, wearing a dark cloak over a white cravat and waistcoat, holding a closed book on his lap. Plain dark background with classical pilasters.
John Linnell, Thomas Robert Malthus, mezzotint, 1834. Wellcome Collection, London.

About this source

What it is

This is a mezzotint print of Thomas Robert Malthus, made by the artist John Linnell in 1834. It shows an older man seated in a chair, holding a closed book, with classical pilasters in the background. It is held by the Wellcome Collection in London.

Why it matters

Because it was made during Malthus's own lifetime, close to his death, this print gives students a contemporary image of the economist as he appeared late in life, rather than an imagined later portrait.

Look closer

  • What might the book in his lap suggest about how the artist wanted him remembered?
  • How does the formal pose and setting shape the impression of the sitter?
  • What does a portrait like this tell us, and what does it leave out about his ideas?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Thomas Malthus 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 1826 sixth edition of An Essay on the Principle of Population by the Rev. T. R. Malthus, in two volumes, Vol. I, published by John Murray, London. Cream-colored page with black serif text.Book

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An Essay on the Principle of Population

Thomas Robert Malthus · 1798 (6th ed. 1826)

Title page of Principles of Political Economy by Rev. T. R. Malthus, second edition, London, William Pickering, 1836. Includes a handwritten inscription with a signature and the date 1917, and a printer's anchor emblem with the Latin motto Aldi Discipulus Anglus.Book

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Principles of Political Economy

Thomas Robert Malthus · 1820 (2nd ed. 1836)

Black-and-white engraved portrait of an older man with light, curly hair seated in a chair, wearing a dark coat with a high white cravat, holding a closed book in his hands, against a dark background with a classical column.Painting

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Portrait of Thomas Robert Malthus

John Linnell · after 1833

Dark brown cover of a book with thin gold horizontal rules near the top and bottom edges. Faint embossed lettering is visible near the lower center but is not legible. No text is clearly readable.Letter

Primary source

Correspondence between Malthus and David Ricardo

Thomas Robert Malthus; David Ricardo · 1811–1823

Title page of the 1859 John Murray first edition of 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection' by Charles Darwin. Cream paper with black serif type, London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1859.Book

Primary source

On the Origin of Species

Charles Darwin · 1859

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