Vasco da Gama portrait, published 1898

What it is

This is an engraved oval portrait of Gama, listed as a painting and recorded as published in 1898. The creator is anonymous. It shows a bearded man with a dark fur-trimmed cap and robe, holding a small cup and a rolled document, with a cross pendant on his chest. A caption below reads Vasco da Gama. The media note also gives the caption date as 1864, which differs from the 1898 date in the record, so the exact date should be checked against the source.

Why it matters

Images like this one were used to present Gama as a national hero in print. The cup and rolled document suggest travel, documents and status, but they reflect the artist's choices. Because the portrait is an imagined likeness, it shows how Gama was remembered in the years around 1898 rather than what he looked like.

Look closer

• What objects does the man hold, and what might they suggest about his role in history?
• Why does the caption date differ from the publication date, and what might that tell you about the image's history?
• Who would have been likely to read or buy a print like this, and why?