David Hume

Art Historical Context

This stipple engraving the likeness of David Hume, the influential 18th-century Scottish philosopher whose writings shaped modern thought on empiricism, skepticism, and human nature. Created by British printmaker William Holl I, the work serves as a reproduction that helped circulate Hume’s image to a broader audience beyond the original painted portrait. Though the exact date remains unknown, such prints were common during Hume’s era and the decades following, reflecting the growing public interest in Enlightenment thinkers. Holl’s chosen medium of stipple engraving—built from countless tiny dots to model light, shadow, and texture—allowed for delicate tonal gradations on paper. This technique was especially valued for portraiture in the late 18th and early 19th centuries because it combined the precision of line engraving with a softer, more painterly effect. The modest image size (roughly 12.5 by 10.5 cm) suggests the print was designed for inclusion in books, portfolios, or private collections rather than as a large wall piece. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Prints and Drawings department, the sheet offers visitors a tangible link to both Hume’s intellectual legacy and the reproductive print culture that democratized access to famous faces during the Enlightenment.