William Shakespeare Portrait ASCII Art

Martin Droeshout's engraved portrait of William Shakespeare from the title page of the 1623 First Folio: a high bald forehead, hair over the ears, a moustache and a wide stiff collar over a patterned doublet

The engraved crosshatching behind the head becomes an even field of *. The high forehead is the lightest area, a block of : and . at the top center, with the eyes, nose and moustache as smaller + and # marks below it. The wide collar shows as a pale band of = and - across the lower middle, and the patterned doublet fills the bottom rows with dense # and %. Engraving: Martin Droeshout (image: Bodleian Libraries, CC BY 3.0); ASCII conversion by this site.

Built Standard preview: 100 columns by 55 rows. Each result card lists its recipe. Select the text below to copy it without JavaScript.

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Source and reuse rights: documented; owner review pending

The conversion-source link provides the file used to make this example, not permission to redistribute it.

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Original source: Wikimedia Commons reproduction of a historical printed engraving. Evidence link Evidence: Exact file record and SHA-1 checked October 28, 2026 UTC. Downloaded unchanged Wikimedia rendition: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Shakespeare_Droeshout_1623.jpg/1920px-Shakespeare_Droeshout_1623.jpg.
File creator: Copper engraving: Martin Droeshout (1601-about 1650), title page of Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (the First Folio), London, 1623. Cropped page image from the Bodleian Libraries' digital facsimile of their copy, Arch. G c.7. Subject: William Shakespeare. Evidence link Evidence: Creator, date and source are taken from the exact Commons file record; the subject is not the copyright owner of the portrait..
License or terms: Public-domain engraving and faithful two-dimensional reproduction. Evidence link Evidence: The engraving was published in 1623 and Martin Droeshout died about 1650, so it is out of copyright under any life-plus-70 or pre-1931 rule. The exact record is tagged PD-Art and PD-old-auto-expired (deathyear 1650), and the scan is a faithful two-dimensional reproduction. The Bodleian Libraries release their First Folio images under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 (firstfolio.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/about.html) and ask for this citation: Images taken from The Bodleian First Folio: digital facsimile of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays, Bodleian Arch. G c.7. URL: http://firstfolio.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/. The exact file record lists no additional restrictions. Credits are retained as the image source requests. Use as an educational conversion example implies no endorsement by the subject, estate, photographer, institution or employer; this does not clear other portraits of the same person..
Preparation: The bundled file is the unchanged 1920-pixel rendition that Wikimedia generates from the 2640 x 2640 Commons original, which keeps the bundled download comparable to other examples. Sharp applies orientation and sRGB/Lanczos3 sampling for thumbnails and the 100-column Standard preview. The ASCII is a lossy conversion by this site; no image regions are reconstructed. Evidence: scripts/build-example-previews.cjs; exact source and sampled-raster SHA-256 hashes in lib/generated/example-previews.json.

Owner review: PENDING. The exact-file portrait evidence is documented for owner review; it does not clear unrelated portraits, merchandise, or uses implying endorsement or affiliation.

Standard ASCII

Standard ASCII Art: 100 columns; rows = max(1, round(columns × source height / source width × 0.55)).

Character ramp: @%#*+=-:. (including a final space).

Brightness 100%, contrast 100%, saturation 100%, hue 0, sepia 0%, inversion off. Dithering: none.

Open this recipe in the editor to keep this source, mode and settings. Browser resampling and fonts can differ from the built preview. Copy/TXT retain text; PNG uses black text on white at 12 px monospace, at least 1.2 line spacing and 20 px padding, independent of screen theme.

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*****************************************#*****++++++==+=+++*++++*++++++++++=++++++++===========--=-
***************************##************+=--:::.:::--===++++**++++++++++++++++++*+++++++++++++====+
*************************####*********+--::::.....::::--==+*++*##**+==++**++++++++++++++++++++++++++
*****##########***#*****####*###****+-:::::::::::::::::-===+**=+*###*=+++***++++++*+++++++++++++++++
*#******##***********#*##########**+::::::::....:::..::---=++**+++*##*+++++++++++++**+++++++++++++++
*******#***********##***#***#**#**+::::::::::.......:::----=++**++**###+++++++++++***+**++*+++++++++
*******************#******#**##***----::::::........:::-----=+***++*####++++++**+++**+++++++++++++++
********************************%=---::::::........::::-----==***++**##%#++++**+++**++++++++++++++++
+*************************#***+##--:::-:::::......::::::-=-=-=+******###%*++++***++++++++*+++++*++++
+****************************+*%*:-:::--:::::::::::::---=--===++**+***####+++++++++*+***+++*++*+++++
******************************#%*:::::--::::::----------=--===++***+***##%*+++++++++++++++++++++++++
****************************#%#%*::::::::::::----------==----==****+*#**###+++++++++++++**++++++++++
***************************#####*::::::::::::::--::::::-----===+**++*#***###+++++++++++++++++++++++=
**************************####%%*----::::::::::::::::::::::==+=+**++**#**##%*=++++++++++++++++++++++
*************************#%####%*+****+=-:::::.:-=+**+*++====++*#*++*****###%*+++++++++++++*+++++*++
************************########=+++=+*#*-::::=**##*+==+*====++*#==*****#####%#++===++++****+*****++
***********************#########+++=*#**#=:.:+**++===+++*#+==++**++***##****###%#+=+++++*********+++
************************#######%*-=-***++-..=*++--==-#%#+++===+**++**#*****#*####%#+++++++**++****++
*****************##*##***##*####*:-=-=----.:++*=.-=::-==+=:---+*#++***#**####**###%#++++++++**++++++
*************##**#**##****######=::----:-:.=+**=::=-:::-+-.:--=+**+****#**#****####%#==+**********++
***********####***#*#**###*###%*-:::::.--.-++*+-:.:::::::..::-=+*##++******#**######%*=++**********+
********************#####*#**#%*--:::..=-.=+**=:::....::.::--==++*##++****##########%#*=-+*********+
**********************##########=---:.-=::++++*=:.:--:--:---===++***+*##**###########*#=:=+*****++*+
******#*************#*##########=---::+:.-++=+*#-.:-=----======++**=+*##########%###*+*=:-******+*++
*******##***#*###**#****####*###*----:-=+*###**=:-----====+++=+**#++#*****#######****+*+:-+******+++
*******###*##*###*#***####*##*###=--:::-+*#**=----==--=====++++*#####***++++++****++=+++:-+*****++++
************##************##**###*======++++*+===-==========++*######*#*****++*+++====++:-+****+++++
********************#############*=+++****+++***++++========++######****++*++++=----==+=:-****++++++
*******##*###*****#############*=:=+=-=+*+*+++*+++*+=---===++*######**#***++-=========+-:=****++++++
******########******##**######+-:--+=-.=*+++=-===:::::-====**##*##%#*****+=--========+=--+****++++++
*******######**#****#***####*=:-=---+=--+*****+=-::::-====*#######**+++==---=-======++--+*****++++++
**********#**************#*=:-=------+=--===+---:--:--==+*####%####*++++==:-=-======+:-+*****+++++++
*****************##****##*-:==--------+=:::::::::::--==+*#######*++======-========+=:-+****+++++++++
********************#*##+--=-----=-----+=-:::::::--=++*#######**+++=+===-========+=:-+****++*+++++==
*****###*#*****#*#**##*=-==---------===-+**======++*#####**++======----:==-===-=+=:=+*********++++==
*******************##+--========-=========+******##*+*+=============--:==----===-:+*******+*++++++++
********************=-=++=+==+===+==+==+++==-:=++==:-====================-:--==--+***++******+++++++
********#**********=-=+++====------====+=+++=-====-:---===================-==-:=**+**+++*+++++++++*+
********#********+-:--===+++****####*####*#######****#*+==----===+========++-=*#**+*++++++++*+**+***
*****###********+==++*###%%%%%%%%%%%##*#*############%%%###*+++=---=====++=-+#%##%###*+++++*+++*****
*****##*******##*#######%%%%#########%#%##########**########%%%%#*+==--==--*######%%#####***++++++++
*******#####***#####%##%##%######%%%%%%##%%########**###*#%%%%%%%%%%%#*+=+###%######%#%%%#%##*******
*******####**################%%%%%%%#%####%%*#######**%#*#%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#*########%%####%%%%
************########%%###*#%%%%###%#%#%###%######***##%#*#%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#**####%#%%*#####**###
******####**#######%%%###*#%%%#######%%###%#####%%%######%%%%%%%%%%##%%%%##%#**#####%%#*#%########*#
*#*#######*#%%###########**%%%%%%%#%%%%%##%##############%%%%%%#%%%%%%#%%%%#**####%######*#########*
#********#*##########%#*##*#%%%%%%%#%%%%#%%*#########%#*#%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#*##%#%%%###########%##*##
********##**#**#**#**#####*#%%####%##%%%#%%##%#######%#*####%%%%%%%%%%%%%#**####%##%%%##*##########*
#****#####**##*#####%%####*#%%%%%###%%#%#%#*############%%#%%##%%%%%%%%%####%#%##%%%%%%%###*########
#***#######**#########%###*#%%#######%%#%%###############%##########%%%%##%##%%#*###%%%%%%##***####%
****######*##***######%####*%%######%%##%%###*##****#%*#%####%#####%%%%#*####%%%###*##%%%%%%##*#%%%#
##*#****#*###*#############*#%%%##%##%%%%%*##*####**%#*#%%%#####%##%%%%*###%%%####%#######%#%%%%%###
#*****##*###%%*#######%####**%%#########%#*##*#****##%##%#######%%%%%%#*#%#%%%%%%####%##*##%%%%#####
#****#***####%%#%%%#%##%###**#%%#####%%%%#*##*##########%###%%%%%#%%%%*##%##%#**#%%%####%##%%%%#####
****#***#####**#####**#####**#%%%######%%**###****##%###%#%%%%%%%%%%%%#####%%#######%####%@%####%###

Checking destination fit...

README and chat presets use printable ASCII. Unicode blocks and edge lines need matching font support; emoji can occupy different widths on another device. PNG keeps this browser's rendering, not another app's emoji style.

Sharing ASCII art in Telegram? Check monospace formatting and wrapping before sending. Ordinary chat formatting and Bot API HTML are different.

Edge detection

Edge Detection Only: 100 columns; rows = max(1, round(columns × source height / source width × 0.55)).

Edge Intensity: 1. Uses directional Unicode lines, not the selected character ramp.

Brightness 100%, contrast 100%, saturation 100%, hue 0, sepia 0%, inversion off. Dithering does not apply to this mode.

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Character Optimization matches local glyph shapes in 4x8 cells at 8 px monospace. Compare texture with Standard; it is not a universal quality improvement, and your display font does not change the matching font.

Character Optimization

Character Optimization: 100 columns; rows = max(1, round(columns × source height / source width × 0.55)).

Character ramp: @%#*+=-:. (including a final space).

Brightness 100%, contrast 100%, saturation 100%, hue 0, sepia 0%, inversion off. Dithering: none.

Open recipe in editor

Mosaic comparisons use 15 symbol columns, not the 100 columns of the character modes. The detailed recipe increases contrast to 150%; choose Coarse mosaic in the editor for the original five-column style.

Detailed emoji mosaic

Emoji Mosaic: sampling width 60, Emoji Size 4, squares set, transparent-cell symbol "⬜". Final columns = ceil(width / Emoji Size); rows depend on source aspect ratio.

Brightness 100%, contrast 150%, saturation 100%, hue 0, sepia 0%, inversion off. Dithering does not apply to this mode.

Open recipe in editor

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