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Primary sourcePhotograph

William James b1842c

Notman Studios

A widely reproduced studio photograph of William James, held at Harvard's Houghton Library.

This is the most widely reproduced photographic likeness of James, used to identify him across archives.

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Black-and-white sepia portrait photograph of an older man with curly, receding gray hair and a full, bushy gray beard. He wears a dark jacket and white collar against a dark background, looking directly at the camera.
Notman Studios, portrait of William James. Houghton Library, Harvard University, MS Am 1092 (1185).

About this source

What it is

This is a photographic portrait of William James, produced by Notman Studios. It is held at Houghton Library, Harvard University, where James taught for many years.

Why it matters

This is described as the most widely reproduced image of James, meaning it has shaped how generations of readers have pictured him. Such studio portraits were a common way for scholars of this era to present a public image.

Look closer

  • Why might this particular photograph have become the most used image of James?
  • What does the studio setting tell you about the photograph's purpose?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of William James 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 Principles of Psychology, Vol. I, by William James, Professor of Psychology in Harvard University. Published by Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1890. Includes an owl-and-book vignette near the bottom.Book

Primary source

The Principles of Psychology

William James · 1890

Title page of the 1902 book The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature, by William James, LL.D. Text reads Being the Gifford Lectures delivered at Edinburgh 1901-1902, published by Longmans, Green, and Co., New York, London and Bombay. Small printer's ornament below the subtitle.Book

Primary source

The Varieties of Religious Experience

William James · 1901-1902

Book

Primary source

Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking

William James · 1907

Speech

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The Will to Believe

William James · 1896

Oil painting of a young man in profile facing left, with short brown hair, wearing a dark vest, white shirt, and red tie, holding a palette with his right hand against a grey-green background.Painting

Primary source

William James

John La Farge · 1859

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