Portret van John Milton 1741

This is Jacob Houbraken’s portrait of John Milton, made sometime in the 18th century. Although Houbraken was Dutch, his print of the English poet Milton speaks to the growing celebrity of writers in the 1700s. Milton was not only admired for his poetry but also known for his radical political views during the English Civil War. The inclusion of books, lyre, and serpent in this portrait associates Milton’s persona with erudition, poetic inspiration, and a hint of rebellious wisdom. The serpent may symbolize his epic poem Paradise Lost, which retells the biblical story of the Fall. Portraits like these helped establish a visual culture around literary figures, turning them into public intellectuals. To better understand this image, we could look into the printing and publishing industries of the 18th century, as well as the social and political contexts in which Milton's works were read and interpreted. After all, meaning is contingent on context.