Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1913

Vasco da Gama, portrait engraving

Scribner's Sons · c. 1913

A black-and-white engraved portrait of Vasco da Gama made around 1913 for a Scribner's publication.

A later imagined portrait used to represent Vasco da Gama to readers long after his lifetime.

Ask Vasco da Gama about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Black-and-white engraved portrait of a bearded man in a tricorn hat with a pom-pom, wearing a robe with a large Latin cross emblem on the chest and ribbon-tied sleeves. He looks to the viewer's left against a plain white background.
Scribner's Sons, Vasco da Gama, Portuguese navigator, c. 1913.

About this source

What it is

This is an engraved portrait of Vasco da Gama, produced around 1913 by Scribner's Sons for a book or publication. It shows a bearded man in a tricorn hat and robe bearing a large cross, a symbol often linked to Portuguese voyages.

Why it matters

Made centuries after da Gama's life, this image is not based on a known contemporary likeness but represents how publishers imagined and presented the explorer to readers in the early twentieth century. It shows how historical figures are visually constructed long after their deaths.

Look closer

  • What symbols has the artist included, and what do they suggest about how da Gama was remembered?
  • Is there any evidence this image reflects an actual likeness of da Gama?
  • Why might a publisher in 1913 want a dignified, formal portrait like this?

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

More Vasco da Gama sources

Meet the AI Vasco da Gama →
Painting of an elderly bearded man with white beard and dark beret, wearing a dark robe with brown fur collar and a red cross pendant. He holds a pair of spectacles and a folded handwritten letter against a dark green background.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Vasco da Gama

Anonymous · c. 1525

Painted portrait of a bearded man in a black cloak and black hat, holding a staff in his left hand and a sword hilt at his waist. Behind him is a shield with red and white stripes and a Portuguese coat of arms. The gold-colored inscription at top reads Dovasço da Gama Visoreie Comde.Painting

Secondary source

Vasco da Gama, Livro de Lisuarte de Abreu

Livro de Lisuarte de Abreu (compiler unknown) · c. 1565

A black line-drawn autograph signature on white background, with a stylized flourish above and an underline stroke beneath, running across the image from left to right.Document

Secondary source

Signature of Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama

A tall tapering white stone pillar topped with a stone cross stands on a raised circular platform by the sea. Two people sit on a low wall at left, and others sit near the right side under a partly cloudy blue sky.Artifact

Primary source

Vasco da Gama Pillar

1498 or 1499

Hand-painted portolan-style world map on parchment showing the Atlantic, Africa, and parts of Asia and the Americas, with compass roses, rhumb lines, colored flags, and Latin and Portuguese place labels.Document

Primary source

Cantino Planisphere

Anonymous Portuguese cartographer · 1502

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Vasco da Gama now.

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

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions