Portrait of Isaac Newton
Date
1802
Sitter
Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727, British) , Natural philosopher
Creator
William Ridley (1764 - 1838, British) , Engraver
After
John Vanderbank (1694 - 1739, British) , Painter
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Technique
Dimensions
height (print): 220mm
width (print): 135mm
width (print): 135mm
Subject
Description
Head and shoulders study of Isaac Newton, wearing a long wig, with robe and cravat. Looking to the left as viewed.
Plate from a grangerized copy of A history of the Royal Society, with memoirs of the Presidents…by Charles Richard Weld (London, John W. Parker, 1848). In this edition, the original two volumes were extended to eight volumes with the addition of extra-illustrations and documents, by Alexander Meyrick Broadley.
The engraving appears at p.57, as Weld’s text quotes William Whewell on the early Royal Society: ‘a group of philosophers…began to knock at the door where truth was to be found, although it was left for Newton to force it open’.
Inscribed below: ‘Sir Isaac Newton Knt. President of the Royal Society 1720.1. Vanderbank Pinxt. Ridley sc. Pub June 25 1802 by Bunney & Gold 105 Shoe Lane’.
Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) British natural philosopher and mathematician, was elected to the Royal Society in 1672. He served as President of the Royal Society, 1703-1727.
Plate from a grangerized copy of A history of the Royal Society, with memoirs of the Presidents…by Charles Richard Weld (London, John W. Parker, 1848). In this edition, the original two volumes were extended to eight volumes with the addition of extra-illustrations and documents, by Alexander Meyrick Broadley.
The engraving appears at p.57, as Weld’s text quotes William Whewell on the early Royal Society: ‘a group of philosophers…began to knock at the door where truth was to be found, although it was left for Newton to force it open’.
Inscribed below: ‘Sir Isaac Newton Knt. President of the Royal Society 1720.1. Vanderbank Pinxt. Ridley sc. Pub June 25 1802 by Bunney & Gold 105 Shoe Lane’.
Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) British natural philosopher and mathematician, was elected to the Royal Society in 1672. He served as President of the Royal Society, 1703-1727.
Object history
Print from Charles Richard Weld's A history of the Royal Society, vol. 1... (London, John W. Parker, 1848) grangerized by the writer and collector Alexander Meyrick Broadley (1847–1916) into 8 volumes, adding illustrative material and manuscript items to Weld's text. The books were initially owned by Ludwig Mond FRS (1839–1909), and according to an inscription by his son Robert Ludwig Mond FRS (1867–1938) they were intended for presentation to the Society. This eventually happened in late 1959, the donor being the politician Harry Nathan (1889–1963), Lord Nathan of Churt.
Related fellows
Charles Richard Weld (1813 - 1869, British) , Author
Associated place