(1942 – 2018) English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge.[6][17][18] Between 1979 and 2009, he was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, widely viewed as one of the most prestigious academic posts in the world. Purported S.P., 8 x 10 in. b/w, a portrait photograph signed with an end-of-life scrawl in black ink. According to our consignor, a 50+ year collector, he obtained this piece from amongst a collection of business-related autographs offered in a small antiques store in the Northeast. While in our opinion the signature does bear a few similarities to Hawking's scrawls from the end of his life, lack of of further provenance obliges us to offer this piece as a curiosity only, and sold strictly as is.