While page 28 from Palmer’s Sketchbook (1962 facsimile) devotes an equal amount of space to words and pictures, it appears to emphasize the people in Palmer’s life. Palmer talks about a Mr. Finch and a “Mr. B,” believed to be Blake. Blake may even be represented in the profile portrait on the right. Blake’s suggestions for the way in which natural forms are represented though lines, quoted here, are also captured in sketches on this page. The two bottom, sideways images are believed to be lions. Not available at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
Pages 8-9 from Palmer’s Sketchbook (1962 facsimile) show Palmer’s interest in the divine. On the left are sketches of both a sun and a moon, either rising or setting. On the right is a radiant picture of nature overlooked by a figure holding what is believed to be a Bible. The left side is more light, airy, and open than the right side, which is more intense and filled with detail. The greater detail on the right could be an indication that Palmer was exploring the divine in a more focused way. 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 Blake’s image from the Thomas set of his work for Milton’s Paradise Lost (2004 facsimile), three figures sit around a table within the beautiful Garden of Eden. On the left side of the image, Adam and Eve sit together listening to the angel Raphael, on the right. Raphael gestures warningly to the Tree of Knowledge in the distance, which already has a snake coiled around it. Adam appears to be interacting and paying more attention to what Raphael is saying, while Eve is looking downward, her mind seemingly elsewhere. Her lack of attention may be an allusion to the sin she later commits.
In Blake’s image from the Thomas set of his work for Milton’s Paradise Lost (2004 facsimile), Adam and Eve are depicted nude, kissing on a bed of flowers in the Garden of Eden. Above them a blue-colored Satan floats in the sky. He has an orange snake curled around his body. Adam and Eve’s pure love is at the center of the image; the snake wrapped around Satan is possibly a symbol of his self-love, malice, or ultimate transformation into a snake to trick Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. The progression of Satan flying into the light sky on the left from the dark on the right could represent him bringing the darkness to Adam and Eve.
There are three figures in Blake’s image from the Thomas set of his work for Milton’s Paradise Lost (2004 facsimile). Left to right are Satan, Sin, and Death. Sin is the only female character in the image and appears to be struggling to push Death and Satan, who are fighting, away from each other. Sin appears to be only part human; she is surrounded by snakes who obscure her figure from the waist down. Satan is a pale figure who is holding a spear and shield and lunging at Death, while Death appears to be largely transparent and lunges at Satan with a fiery weapon. While this fight is occurring, the room is being engulfed with fire. Blake takes the opportunity to play with dark and light in this image. Even though there is a fire and two of the figures are a bright white, the image still conveys darkness. Part of this effect could be from the subject matter; however, some part is due to the way Blake plays with the bright flames, the pale figure of Satan, and the shimmering aura around Sin, versus the desolate darkness of Death, whose identity is so uncertain. Death is given the ability to be “invisible,” while at the same time he can take on the appearance of anything.
In 2004 the Arion Press produced this portfolio of thirteen watercolor drawings by Blake as a companion to its previous, unillustrated edition of Paradise Lost, published two years earlier. The prints by Blake were the first facsimiles printed at full scale and in full color from the original paintings held at the Huntington Library, which are a combination of drawings made for two different patrons in 1807 and 1808. The copy of this portfolio at Union College includes a prospectus for the project. The rare book collection at Union also includes a copy of the unillustrated Paradise Lost, published by Arion in a limited edition in 2002.
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 plate from Blake’s Illustrations to the Bible (1957 facsimile), Jesus stands on top of a cliff after resisting the third temptation, which was Satan’s promise to give Jesus everything as long as Jesus pledged his allegiance to Satan. Jesus looks upon the swarming, dark clouds that trail the falling Satan. The shining light and two angels, in the top left, have arrived after Jesus has successfully resisted all of Satan’s temptations. This watercolor is from a series of about 80 works that Blake painted for one of his patrons, Thomas Butts, in the early 1800s.
This plate from Blake’s Illustrations to the Bible (1957 facsimile) represents God blessing the seventh day, which is a day for rest. Blake’s image, however, seems anything but restful. A vibrant yellow sunburst full of energy surrounds a soft blue and lavender circle which contains God and other figures looking out. The image utilizes only two main colors to create a dynamic effect. Not available at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
This image from the beginning of Blake’s Illustrations of the Book of Job (1987 facsimile) shows Job’s family before God tests him. It depicts Job’s devotion in a scene of pastoral peace; everyone’s faces are calm and serene. It is the calm before the storm, to be used as a comparison to the future scenes where Job and his family suffer their reversals of fortune and begin to question everything. Blake surrounds the central image with his own selection of texts, including an anachronistic prayer connecting Job’s faith and ordeal to the New Testament.
At the top of this image from Blake’s Illustrations of the Book of Job (1874 reprint), God is pointing down two of his creations, Behemoth and Leviathan. Behemoth is the creature who appears to have attributes of real animals such as a rhino, elephant and hippo; under him is Leviathan, an underwater sea monster. Both of these are creatures of chaos, who can only be created and destroyed by God himself. The group of people below God, who are looking at the creatures, consists of Job, his wife, and family. Blake surrounds the central image with his own selection of texts.
This plate from Blake’s Illustrations of the Book of Job (1874 reprint) is broken up into five areas (in addition to its frame) due to the way God, in the center of the image, splits the page. Blake may have chosen this arrangement to accommodate all of the material that he was attempting to explain visually. As usual with this work, Blake surrounded the central image with his own selection of symbolic texts. Among the most beautiful parts of this illustration is the way Blake engraved the four figures at the top of the central image. The plate is intended to portray “when the morning stars sang together,” and in this case, Blake made it almost literal by placing the four figures singing among the stars.
On the left of this image from Blake’s Illustrations of the Book of Job (1874 reprint), Job and his wife are praying. Job has been begging for answers for his questions, specifically three of them: why was he born, how can he be square with God, and will he live again once he dies. Out of a whirlwind, represented by the radiating circles behind him, God comes to respond to Job’s questions.
This sketch, from The Complete Portraiture of William and Catherine Blake, was made of Catherine Blake by Frederick Tatham in 1828. Frederick Tatham was a sculptor and friend of William and Catherine in the last years of their life together. This sketch shows Catherine as an aged woman in the year after Blake’s death in 1827. There are not many portraits of Catherine; however, compared to other images of her, this one makes her look hardened and frail (she was in her 60s at the time). Not available at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
This sketch of Blake’s wife Catherine, from The Complete Portraiture of William and Catherine Blake, was done in 1803 by William Blake. It is thought that she is shown knitting or sewing. It was drawn by Blake while they were living in Sussex. The same calm presence appears to be evoked in this drawing of Catherine as is evoked in their bedroom scene together. She is idealized as a young woman (she was 40 at the time this sketch was done) who appears to be unaware that Blake is drawing an image of her. Not available at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
This sketch of Blake from The Complete Portraiture of William and Catherine Blake was done by John Linnell in 1825. Linnell, a close friend and champion of Blake’s work, commissioned many works by Blake and introduced him to many people. Blake was known to visit Linnell’s home at Hampstead Heath many times, especially towards the end of his life. As in many of the other sketches of Blake, he appears to looking out with a skeptical eye. Rarely, if ever, is Blake shown smiling in these sketches. Not available at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
This portrait of Blake from The Complete Portraiture of William and Catherine Blake was done by John Linnell in 1820. Linnell, a close friend and champion of Blake’s work, commissioned many works by Blake and introduced him to many people. This portrait of Blake is one of the more detailed ones. It shows his age (Blake was in his 60s at the time) and distinct features, such as a Blake’s strong brow. This portrait aligns with other sketches of Blake. Blake is shown looking down, suggesting either contemplation or the stress and tiredness that Blake must have felt, just barely making ends meet for most of his life. Not available at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
This drawing from The Complete Portraiture of William and Catherine Blake is by Catherine, Blake’s wife, of William. It is important to note that this profile portrait was done in 1828, a year after Blake’s death in 1827. Its date of composition not only implies that Catherine missed Blake, but that she wanted to keep his memory alive by sketching him. It is also a representation of her artistic ability, which appears to be influenced by Blake’s. However, the portrait does not look like many other images of him. Not available at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
This sketch from The Complete Portraiture of William and Catherine Blake is by William of his wife, Catherine. It appears to be a scene of Catherine sitting on bed getting ready for the day. There is a man lying in the bed next to her, likely Blake. The sketch is very rough and is clearly more of a concept than a detailed portrait of the couple. This intimate scene of the two together in bed expresses how happy they were together. Many sources show how helpful Catherine was to Blake’s works, and this image of a mundane activity emphasizes their closeness. Not available at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
The woman in this illustration to Hayley’s Triumph of Temper is the protagonist, Serena. Her hands appear to be clasped in prayer as she enters an arch that Hayley describes as “wide and fantastic.” The area is lit, but the left side of the arch reveals some of the “unnumbered phantoms” that Serena must face. The drawing for this engraving by Blake was made by Maria Flaxman.
In this image at the end of Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1959 facsimile), the torso and head of a female, likely Oothoon, is pictured in the midst of clouds and fire over a dark sea. Her blond hair flows in the wind and her arms are spread wide. Beneath her, on a single ice floe floating in the sea, are the daughters of Albion. They each wear a long colorful gown and their legs are contorted against their chests. They hold each other close and stare up at Oothoon. The poem ends, “The Daughters of Albion hear her woes & eccho back her sighs.”
In this illustration at the start of Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1959 facsimile), a woman with her hair tied back kneels on the ground with her hands covering her breasts. She appears to kiss the forehead of a cherub or child. The child’s arms are outstretched in a joyful pose. The only landscape is a small patch of earth that the woman kneels upon and a miniature dark plant in the lower left corner. Behind the woman is a radiant pink sky. The beams extend to the other corners of the plate. The whole effect represents Oothoon’s happy state and prospects before they are destroyed by Bromion.
The frontispiece to Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1959 facsimile) depicts a cave that overlooks a large green field. Within the cave are three human figures, all in chains. To the far right is a man with curly hair whose head is bowed so that his face is not visible. This male is likely Theotormon, the object of Oothoon’s desires. Oothoon herself appears to be fully naked and is chained to the arms of another nude figure. This older male figure is likely Bromion, Oothon’s rapist. Dark clouds in the background surround a setting sun as shadows encroach upon the three prisoners, all bound in their separate, psychological and physical ways.