In this illustration for the “Drinking Songs” section of Ritson’s Select Collection of English Songs, a group of six men sit around a table with a bottle and drinks in their hands. The man in the center is raising a toast and the two men on the right embrace with their arms around each other. Images by Blake in this edition were engraved by him on commission, after designs by Thomas Stothard. Not available at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
This first page from Palmer’s Sketchbook (1962 facsimile) shows Palmer’s interest in drawing evening scenes, skies, and landscapes. This particular scene is believed to be from July 15, 1824 and portrays twilight, with a rising moon over various hills, houses and fields. Palmer uses nearly half of the page to write down his ideas and thoughts. The sketches in the bottom of the page are very simple but foreshadow the landscape paintings for which he would become famous. Not available at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
In this image from The Song of Los (1975 facsimile), two miniature figures rest upon white lilies. The figure on the left appears female. She has long blond hair and is wearing a long golden gown that is falling off of one of her shoulders as she rests upon the lily. The figure to the right appears male and has a crown and a scepter, indicating some form of royalty. This figure wears a long rust-colored gown with a blue cape. The sky is dark with stars twinkling brightly enough to illuminate the dew on the blades of grass. Exactly what or whom these figures, and the plate as a whole, are meant to represent within The Song of Los is unclear. The next plate does begin, “The Kings of Asia heard / The howl rise up from Europe! / And each ran out from his Web.” That plate, however, also has its own illustration.
This image is from Blake’s illustrations to “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College,” which is included in Thomas Gray’s Poems (1972 facsimile). The woman wearing a crown appears to be the queen of the “painful family of death” in the line marked with Blake’s X. She has snakes wrapped around her legs and torso and flames at her feet. The tortured figures around her represent the loss and dark times that will inevitably have to be faced by the happy youth at the start of the poem.
In the frontispiece for series A of There is No Natural Religion (1971 facsimile), two young men with curly hair stand beneath the cover of some trees. One of them is holding a shepherd's crook. Seated in front of them is an elderly couple in long white robes, perhaps in the role of mentors. All of the figures are standing in a shaded grove in the middle of a wheat field. In the background are lush green mountains and a beautiful pink sky.
The frontispiece for series B of There is No Natural Religion (1971 facsimile) features two figures. The one on the left, wearing a robe and long hair, has an arm outstretched over the man on the right, as if in blessing. The man on the right reaches up to the outstretched hand in seeming awe and need. Blake scholars hypothesize that these two figures are intended to represent Jesus and Lazarus. The background echoes the Gothic architecture seen on the title page.
In this image from America, a Prophecy (1963 facsimile), a winged figure sits naked and chained in the darkness of a rocky landscape. This figure is thought to represent either Orc, Blake’s revolutionary figurehead, or Albion’s Angel, a symbol of the establishment forces. Also in this image is an exhausted-looking mother holding her children on her lap. All figures appear to be naked. It is unclear if the mother and child are related to the winged figure. A toppled cannon lies in the bottom left corner of the image.
In this image from Europe, a Prophecy (1969 facsimile), a naked man crouches on the edge of the world. His long white hair and beard flow in the wind and catch fire at the tips. This man is Urizen, creator and god-like figure of the Blakean universe. His hand is extended into the surrounding darkness. From his fingers, two beams of light shoot in opposite directions into the void, like calipers measuring the world. This image likely portrays Urizen creating the universe from the void.
This image from the 1974 facsimile of Jerusalem is on the verso of a trial proof for the lower portion of Plate 41 of Jerusalem, which begins “Bath who is Legions . . “ The image on the verso here is of a portion of the frontispiece to Blake’s Europe, a Prophecy. The image from Europe was clearly on a waste proof (one Blake never intended to use), so he tested an image from Jerusalem on the other side. This material from the 1974 facsimile of Jerusalem is an interesting demonstration of Blake’s working methods. Blake, who always struggled financially, reused precious materials and paper when he could.
Note: As of early 2018, none of the material used for this facsimile had been digitized at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of this particular image.
In the frontispiece for the For Children version of The Gates of Paradise (1968 facsimile), a child lies sleeping inside of a tightly wrapped cocoon. The cocoon perches on a single leaf. Above that leaf is another, upon which a caterpillar watches over the resting child. Streaks of black run through the illustration as if to signify that it is raining, but the child is protected.
The frontispiece for the For the Sexes version of The Gates of Paradise (1968 facsimile) is revised from the For Children version. A child still lies sleeping inside of a tightly wrapped cocoon. The cocoon perches on a single leaf. Above that leaf is another, upon which a caterpillar watches over the resting child. This version, however, has no steaks of rain falling down, in keeping with the addition of Blake’s lines: “The Suns Light when he unfolds it / Depends on the Organ that beholds it.”
The dark frontispiece to Blake’s Illustrations to the Bible (1957 facsimile) resembles images of the Virgin Mary and Jesus from Byzantine art. It uses the same gold on the figures, and its iconography is similar, depicting large, solid halos above simplified, stylized figures. Not available at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
In this image from Jerusalem (1951 facsimile), a man with blond hair opens an arched door that leads to a dark room. He is wearing a brown hat and a long blue coat. Blake scholars theorize that this man is Los, mainly because of the glowing orb he holds in his right hand. The orb lights up the room and casts shadows across the doorway. Los peers into the doorway as he steps within.
In this image from Jerusalem, a man opens an arched door that leads to a dark room. Blake scholars theorize that this man is Los, mainly because of the glowing orb he holds in his right hand. The orb casts light and shadows across the doorway as Los steps within. This image from the 1952 facsimile should be compared to the colored facsimiles in the library’s collections from 1951 and 1974. Without full color, some details are lost and the orb seems a much flatter object. The space that Los is moving through also seems more mysterious.
In this image from Jerusalem, a man opens an arched door that leads to a dark room. Blake scholars theorize that this man is Los, mainly because of the glowing orb he holds in his right hand. The orb casts light and shadows across the doorway as Los steps within. This image from the 1974 facsimile should be compared to the colored facsimile in the library’s collections from 1951. Like the title page of the 1974 edition, the colors are more limited in range to yellows and gold, but the effect of light entering a darkened space is just as effective.
Note: As of early 2018, none of the material used for this facsimile had been digitized at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of this particular image.
This frontispiece is included with the Trianon Press Laocoon volume (1976 facsimile). It is described as “an enigmatic self-portrait” of Blake himself, “whose last testament is studied in this book. On his head is a Menorah, the ancient symbol of the Tree of Life and of spiritual insight.” Not available at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
A male figure takes up the foreground in this image from Songs of Innocence (1927 facsimile). He is holding a wooden musical instrument that looks to be some type of flute. He stares at a cherubic figure that is flying above him. Two tall, lush trees frame the illustration on this plate. Behind the male figure are acres of crops or pasture land with grazing sheep. The whole effect is one of sweet, pastoral inspiration.
The coloring and impact of this frontispiece should be compared to that of other reproductions in the library’s collections, made by different hands or from different original copies. The image here is much darker than the 1954 reproduction of this frontispiece, for example. This image has a dark blue sky and dark green grass and trees that lead into black shadows, casting an overall nighttime feel to the image. The main figure is also colored entirely differently.
A male figure takes up the foreground in this image from Songs of Innocence (1954 facsimile). He is holding a wooden musical instrument that looks to be some type of flute. He stares at a cherubic figure that is flying above him. Two tall, lush trees frame the illustration on this plate. Behind the male figure are acres of crops or pasture land with grazing sheep. The whole effect is one of sweet, pastoral inspiration.
The coloring and impact of this frontispiece should be compared to that of other reproductions in the library’s collections, made by different hands or from different original copies.
A male figure takes up the foreground in the frontispiece to Songs of Innocence, included in the combined edition of Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1955 facsimile). He is holding a wooden musical instrument that looks to be some type of flute. He stares at a cherubic figure that is flying above him. Two tall, lush trees frame the illustration on this plate. Behind the male figure are acres of crops or pasture land with grazing sheep. The whole effect is one of sweet, pastoral inspiration.
The coloring and impact of this image should be compared to that of other reproductions in the library’s collections, made by different hands or from different original copies.
A male figure takes up the foreground in the frontispiece to Songs of Innocence, included in the combined edition of Songs of Innocence and Experience (1955 facsimile). He is holding a wooden musical instrument that looks to be some type of flute. He stares at a cherubic figure that is flying above him. Two tall, lush trees frame the illustration on this plate. Behind the male figure are acres of crops or pasture land with grazing sheep. The whole effect is one of sweet, pastoral inspiration.
The coloring and impact of this image should be compared to that of other reproductions in the library’s collections, made by different hands or from different original copies. For example, this image, reproduced from a print made late in Blake’s lifetime, has a lighter and more whimsical coloring compared to the 1955 version, made from a different copy. The figures appear to have a lavender coloring to them and there is a warm, gold aura around each of the figures, making them feel more magical and less like actual people. Not available at the William Blake Archive; consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
A male figure takes up the foreground in the frontispiece to Songs of Innocence, included in the combined edition of Songs of Innocence and of Experience (2016 facsimile). He is holding a wooden musical instrument that looks to be some type of flute. He stares at a cherubic figure that is flying above him. Two tall, lush trees frame the illustration on this plate. Behind the male figure are acres of crops or pasture land with grazing sheep. The whole effect is one of sweet, pastoral inspiration.
The coloring and impact of this image should be compared to that of other reproductions in the library’s collections, made by different hands or from different original copies. For example, here Michael Phillips’s experimentation with Blake’s printing techniques is on show. The black and white image allows for more of the original details and lines to be seen; in most copies they are covered with added color. Not available at the William Blake Archive; consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
In the frontispiece to The Book of Ahania (1973 facsimile), Ahania, the female counterpart of Urizen, is naked and crouched on top of a grassy hill. Behind her, the figure of Urizen hovers over her, inspecting her golden locks of hair. The sky is bright red and orange, indicating either a powerful sunset or referencing fire and Hell.
In this image from The Book of Los (1976 facsimile), we see the “Eno aged mother” that Blake refers to in the opening line of the poem. She is seated beneath “the eternal Oak” with her knees upright and together. Her lips are parted as if she is preparing to sing or speak. Her gown is gray tinged with blue and green, and her hair is long and silver.
In the frontispiece to The Song of Los (1975 facsimile), an elderly male figure with long white hair kneels before an altar. This male figure is likely Urizen, a god-like and oppressive figure in the Blakean universe. He is deep in prayer. Above him in the dark sky is a glowing, multi-colored orb, perhaps a representation of Earth or of counter forces. Beams of light emit from it.
Advanced Search
