William Blake
William Blake worked as poet, engraver and visionary artist in Georgian London, producing illuminated books, engravings and watercolors steeped in biblical and mythological imagery. The archive gathers 143 sheets by his hand, dominated by relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold, alongside a substantial body of engraving and a smaller group of wood engravings and pen-and-ink drawings. Subjects range from the Flight into Egypt and the Creation of Eve to the Book of Revelation, the parable of the wise and foolish virgins and the illustrations to Night Thoughts and The Grave. Dates on the sheets run from 1774 to 1827, and where impressions were pulled later, they are noted as impressions up to that year.
143 works in the collection · All public domain (CC0)
Clarence's Dream (Shakespeare, Richard III, Act 1, Scene 4)
1774 · Etching and engraving
The Last Trumpet (recto); Two studies of a right eye, a profile of an open-mouthed young man, the head of an eagle, and the head of a lion (verso)
1780–85 · Recto: pen and gummed carbon black ink and layered gray ink washes with graphite underdrawing and reductive techniques
Verso: black chalk
Winged Figure Flying Through Clouds, from Bell's "Poets"
1790 · Etching and engraving; only state
The Beggar's Opera, Act III (1790)
1790 · Engraving
Fertilization of Egypt, from Erasmus Darwin's 'The Botanic Garden'
1791 · Engraving
The Complaint and the Consolation; or, Night Thoughts
1797 · Illustrations: etching and engraving
The Death of Lucretia, from Allen's 'New and Impartial Roman History'
1797 · Engraving
The Angel Appearing to Zacharias
1799–1800 · Pen and black ink, tempera, and glue size on canvas
The Rest on the Flight into Egypt (The Repose of the Holy Family in Egypt)
1806 · Watercolor, pen and black ink, over graphite
Enoch
1806–7 · Modified lithograph printed in relief from a stone; one state
The Grave, A Poem
1813 · Illustrations: etchings
Thenot and Colinet Lead Their Flocks Together
1821 · Wood engraving
Thenot and Colinet Lead Their Flocks Together, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"
1821 · Wood engraving
Thenot and Colinet Eat Their Evening Meal, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"
1821 · Wood engraving
A Rolling Stone Is Ever Bare of Moss, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"
1821 · Wood engraving
Colinet Mocked by Two Boys, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"
1821 · Wood engraving
Menalcus Watching Women Dance, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" (1821, Met-Objekt 3871)
1821 · Wood engraving
Menalcus Watching Women Dance, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" (1821, Met-Objekt 3872)
1821 · Wood engraving
Unyok'd Heifers, Loitering Homeward (Return of the Shepherd), from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"
1821 · Wood engraving
Boy Returning Joyfully, with Plough and Oxen, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" (1821, Met-Objekt 3874)
1821 · Wood engraving
Boy Returning Joyfully, with Plough and Oxen, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" (1821, Met-Objekt 3875)
1821 · Wood engraving
Shepherd Chases Away a Wolf, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" (1821, Met-Objekt 3876)
1821 · Wood engraving; second state
Sabrina's Silvery Flood, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" (1821, Met-Objekt 3877)
1821 · Wood engraving; second state
Colinet's Journey: Milestone Marked 'LXII Miles to London', from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"
1821 · Wood engraving; second state
Thenot Remonstrates With Colinet, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" (1821, Met-Objekt 3879)
1821 · Wood engraving; second state
Thenot Remonstrates with Colinet, Lightfoot in the Background, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"
1821 · Wood engraving; second state
Blasted Trees and Flattened Crops, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"
1821 · Wood engraving; second state
Thenot Remonstrates With Colinet, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" (1821, Met-Objekt 3882)
1821 · Wood engraving; second state
Thenot Under a Fruit Tree, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"
1821 · Wood engraving; second state
Shepherd Chases Away a Wolf, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" (1821, Met-Objekt 3884)
1821 · Wood engraving; first state
Colinet's Journey, Milestone Marked 'LXII Miles to London', from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil"
1821 · Wood engraving; second state
Sabrina's Silvery Flood, from Thornton's "Pastorals of Virgil" (1821, Met-Objekt 3890)
1821 · Wood engraving; second state
Hiding of Moses
1825 · Engraving
The Creation
1825–26 · Engraving
Job and His Family
1825–26 · Engraving
Job's Evil Dreams
1825–26 · Engraving
Job rebuked by his Friends
1825–26 · Engraving
The Wrath of Elihu
1825–26 · Engraving
The Vision of Eliphaz
1825–26 · Engraving
Job's Despair
1825–26 · Engraving
Satan Going Forth from the Presence of the Lord
1825–26 · Engraving
Satan Smiting Job with Boils
1825–26 · Engraving
Job's Comforters
1825–26 · Engraving
The Messengers tell Job of his Misfortunes
1825–26 · Engraving
Title Page: Illustrations of the Book of Job
1825–26 · Engraving
The Lord Answering Job out of the Whirlwind
1825–26 · Engraving
Satan Before the Throne of God
1825–26 · Engraving
The Destruction of Job's Sons
1825–26 · Engraving
Job and his Wife restored to Prosperity
1825–26 · Engraving
Job and his Daughters
1825–26 · Engraving
Job accepting Charity
1825–26 · Engraving
Job's Sacrifice
1825–26 · Engraving
The Vision of God
1825–26 · Engraving
The Fall of Satan
1825–26 · Engraving
Behemoth and Leviathan
1825–26 · Engraving
George Cumberland's Message Card
1827 · Engraving
Death's Door, from "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair (19th century)
19th century · Etching
Mourir C'est Renaitre (Death and Immortality)
19th century · Wood engraving
Tornado–Zeus Battling Typhon
August 1, 1795 · Engraving
Tornado–Zeus Battling Typhon, from Erasmus Darwin's 'The Botanic Garden'
August 1, 1795 · Engraving
The Beggar's Opera, Act III (July 1, 1790, Met-Objekt 3909)
July 1, 1790 · Etching and engraving
The Beggar's Opera, Act III (July 1, 1790, Met-Objekt 3910)
July 1, 1790 · Engraving
Adam and the Beasts, Frontispiece to Hayley's "Ballads"
June 1, 1802 · Engraving
The Skeleton Re-Animated, Title Page to "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair
March 1, 1813 · Engraving
Death of the Strong Wicked Man, from "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair (March 1, 1813)
March 1, 1813 · Engraving
The Counsellor, King, Warrior, Mother & Child in the Tomb, from "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair
March 1, 1813 · Engraving
Christ Descending into the Grave, from "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair
March 1, 1813 · Engraving
The Meeting of a Family in Heaven, from "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair
March 1, 1813 · Engraving
The Soul Hovering over the Body, Reluctantly Parting with Life, from "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair
March 1, 1813 · Engraving
The Descent of Man into the Vale of Death, from "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair
March 1, 1813 · Engraving
The Day of Judgment, from 'The Grave,' a Poem by Robert Blair
March 1, 1813 · Engraving
The Soul Exploring the Recesses of the Grave, from "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair
March 1, 1813 · Engraving
The Death of the Good Old Man, from "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair
March 1, 1813 · Engraving
The Reunion of the Soul & the Body, from "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair
March 1, 1813 · Engraving
Death's Door, from "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair (March 1, 1813)
March 1, 1813 · Engraving
Death of the Strong Wicked Man, from "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair (May 1, 1808)
May 1, 1808 · Engraving
Songs of Innocence: Frontispiece
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: Title Page
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: Introduction
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: The Shepherd
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: The Ecchoing Green
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: The Ecchoing Green (second plate)
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: The Lamb
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: The Little Black Boy
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: The Little Black Boy (second plate)
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: The Blossom
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: The Chimney Sweeper
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: Little Boy Lost
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: The Little Boy Found
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: Laughing Song
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: A Cradle Song
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: A Cradle Song (second plate)
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: The Divine Image
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: Holy Thursday
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: Night
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: Night (second plate)
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: Spring
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: Spring (second plate)
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: Nurse's Song
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: Infant Joy
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: On Anothers Sorrow
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: The Little Girl Lost
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: The Little Girl Lost (second plate); The Little Girl Found
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: The Little Girl Found (second plate)
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: The School Boy
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: The Voice of the Ancient Bard
[1789] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul: Combined Title-page
[1789–94] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul
[1789–94] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor, ink and shell gold
Songs of Innocence: A Dream
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: Frontispiece
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: Title-page
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: Introduction
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: Earth's Answer
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: The Clod & the Pebble
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: Holy Thursday
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
The Chimney Sweeper
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: Nurses Song
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: The Sick Rose
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: The Fly
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: The Angel
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: My Pretty Rose Tree, Ah! Sun-Flower, The Lilly
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: The Tyger
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: The Garden of Love
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: The Little Vagabond
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: London
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
The Human Abstract
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: Infant Sorrow
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
A Poison Tree
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: A Little Boy Lost
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: A Little Girl Lost
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Songs of Experience: To Tirzah
[1794] printed ca. 1825 · Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Frontispiece to Jerusalem, the Emanation of the Great Albion
[ca. 1804–20] (?) · White line engraving, printed in orange ink
God Judging Adam
ca. 1795 · Color relief etching finished with pen and ink and watercolor
Pity
ca. 1795 · Relief etching, printed in color and finished with pen and ink and watercolor
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (ca. 1799–1800)
ca. 1799–1800 · Watercolor, pen and black ink, brush and wash, over graphite
Angel of the Divine Presence Bringing Eve to Adam (The Creation of Eve: "And She Shall be Called Woman") (recto); Sketch for the same (verso)
ca. 1803 · Watercolor, pen and black ink, over graphite
Angel of the Revelation (Book of Revelation, chapter 10)
ca. 1803–5 · Watercolor, pen and black ink, brush and wash, over traces of graphite
The Circle of the Thieves; Buoso Donati Attacked by the Serpent
ca. 1825–27 · Engraving
The Circle of the Lustful: Paolo and Francesca
ca. 1825–27 · Engraving
The Circle of Corrupt Officials: The Devils Tormenting Ciampolo
ca. 1825–27 · Engraving
The Circle of Corrupt Officials: The Devils Mauling Each Other
ca. 1825–27 · Engraving
Circle of Theives: Agnello Brunelleschi Attacked By a Six-Footed Serpent
ca. 1825–27 · Engraving
The Circle of Traitors: Dante's Foot Striking Bocca degli Abbate
ca. 1825–27 · Engraving