Skip to main content

Primary sourcePaintingc. 1834

Thomas Robert Malthus, Stipple Engraving

Félicie Fournier (after John Linnell) · c. 1834

A stipple engraving of Malthus made around the time of his death, based on a portrait by John Linnell.

A contemporary engraved likeness of Malthus made around the time of his death.

Ask Thomas Malthus about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Black and white stipple engraving of a man with curly hair, wearing a dark coat with wide lapels over a white high-collared shirt, in a double-ruled border. Caption below reads 'Gravé par Me Fournier d'après J. Linnell.'
Stipple engraving by Félicie Fournier after John Linnell, Thomas Robert Malthus, c. 1834.

About this source

What it is

This is a stipple engraving made about 1834 by Félicie Fournier, copying a portrait of Thomas Robert Malthus originally painted by John Linnell. It shows Malthus with curly hair, wearing a dark coat with wide lapels over a white high-collared shirt.

Why it matters

Engravings like this were how most people in the 19th century came to know what a public figure looked like, since photography was not yet widespread. This print connects two artists, Linnell and Fournier, to the task of fixing Malthus's image for later generations.

Look closer

  • What does the clothing and pose suggest about how Malthus wanted to be seen?
  • Why might an engraver copy an existing painting rather than work from life?
  • What is left out of a formal portrait like this?

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.

More Thomas Malthus sources

Meet the AI Thomas Malthus →
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

Primary source

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

Primary source

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

Primary source

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

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Thomas Malthus now.

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

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions