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William Blake was born, 1757, in London, England, the third son of Catherine née Wright and James Blake, a hosier and haberdasher on Broad Street in Golden Square, Soho. The young William was prone to fantastic visions, claiming he had regular conversations with his deceased brother Robert. It was soon apparent that Blake’s imaginary world would be a prime motivator throughout his life. Noting something special in their son, the Blakes were highly supportive, encouraging him to pursue his artistic creativity. As an artist, Blake studied the works of Raphael, Heemskerk, Dürer, and Michelangelo, all of whom would become important influences in the fantastic illustrations he created for his writings. He developed mythic creatures inspired by Greek and Roman mythology including Los, who represents the poetic imagination. In 1782, Blake married Catherine Sophia Boucher. Although they had no children it was mostly a happy marriage. They were a devoted couple and worked together on many of Blake’s publications. He had been writing poetry for quite some time and his first collection, Poetical Sketches, appeared in 1783. While Blake was busy with commissions he also undertook the task of creating the engravings that would illustrate his own poetry, printing them himself. He experimented with an early method of creating images and text on the same plate. He employed techniques for decorative margins and hand-colored the printed images, or printed with the color already on the wood or copper plate, the paint of which he mixed himself. This attention to the craft and details of each volume make no two of his works alike. He also illustrated works for other writers and poets. In 1821 the Blakes moved to Fountain Court, Strand. There he finished his work on the Book of Job in 1825, commissioned by John Linnell. The following year he started a series of watercolors for Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, which he worked on up to the day of his death, 1827. While Blake lived the majority of his life in London, he exerted a profound impact on future poets, artists, writers, and musicians the world over. He is acclaimed one of England's great figures of art and literature, as well as, one of the most original painters of his time. We invite you to read and save any images on our site. When you have time, please visit our Vintage Shop Bibliography: Blake in the Nineties, David Worrall, 1999 William Blake: The Complete Illuminated Books, William Blake, 2001 Also see: The Drawings of William Blake The Techniques of William Blake |
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