Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePainting1915

Woodcut Portrait of Isaac Newton after Kneller

Unknown artist, after Kneller · 1915

A woodcut copy of a 17th-century portrait of Newton, showing his appearance.

A reproduced portrait showing how Newton's appearance was recorded and later copied for publication.

Ask Isaac Newton about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Oval engraved portrait of a man with long, curled, shoulder-length wig, wearing a loose white cravat and dark coat. He has a serious expression and is looking toward the viewer. Printed caption text is at the lower left.
Woodcut portrait of Isaac Newton, after a 17th-century portrait by Kneller, 1915.

About this source

What it is

This woodcut portrait of Isaac Newton was made by an unknown artist, copying an earlier portrait painted by Kneller around 1689. The print was published later, reproducing the earlier image.

Why it matters

Portraits like this one shaped how later generations pictured Newton. Because it is a copy of a copy, it shows how images of famous scientists were reproduced and spread long after they were first painted, sometimes changing slightly each time.

Look closer

  • What does the clothing and wig suggest about the period when the original portrait was painted?
  • Why might publishers continue to reuse an old portrait instead of commissioning a new one?
  • What might be lost or changed when a portrait is copied from one artist to another?

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

More Isaac Newton sources

Meet the AI Isaac Newton →
Title page of the 1687 first edition of Newton's Principia. Large capitals read PHILOSOPHIÆ NATURALIS PRINCIPIA MATHEMATICA, with author credit, Imprimatur by S. Pepys, dated Julii 5, 1686, and London printing by Josephi Streater, Anno MDCLXXXVII.Book

Primary source

Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica

Isaac Newton · 1687

Title page with a page number marked [1] at top, reading PHILOSOPHIAE NATURALIS Principia MATHEMATICA, followed by the heading Definitiones and Def. I, with a Latin definition of quantity of matter in italic type. Faint bleed-through text from the reverse page is visible.Book

Primary source

Principia Mathematica, Page 1: Definitions

Isaac Newton · 1687

Black-and-white line engraving of an elderly man with long, wavy white hair seated in a dark armchair, wearing a dark coat, waistcoat, and white cravat, with his hands resting on his knee. A column appears at the right. Inscribed beneath: 'ISAACUS NEWTON EQ. AUR. ÆT. 83', with 'I. Vanderbank pinxit 1725' at lower left and 'Geo. Vertue Sculpsit 1726' at lower right.Painting

Primary source

Sir Isaac Newton, line engraving by Vertue, 1726

George Vertue · 1726

Engraved diagram on a cream page within a book, showing a curved comet path from Sol at left, with dated positions such as Nov. 25, Dec. 12, Jan. 5 and Mar. 5, labeled orbit lines and a sphere intersection line.Document

Primary source

Principia Mathematica, Fold-out Diagram

Isaac Newton · 1687

Engraved portrait of Sir Isaac Newton, a man with long curled wig and dark robe, bust-length, against a shaded background. Caption below reads 'SIR ISAAC NEWTON' and publisher 'William Collins Glasgow & London'.Painting

Primary source

Sir Isaac Newton, stipple engraving by J. Scott after Kneller, 1702

J. Scott, after Sir Godfrey Kneller · 1702 (print made later)

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Isaac Newton now.

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

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions