William Blake
William Blake was born in London in 1757. He apprenticed under engraver James Basire for seven years and then studied at the Royal Academy. His most popular collection “Songs of Innocence” was published in 1789, in which he combined both text and pictures on one engraved plate. He continued creating books throughout his life and found admirers in the water-colorists of the next generation in 1818. He died in 1827.
Excerpted from "Blake's Poetry and Designs", selected and edited by Mary Lynn Johnson and John E. Grant, published by W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. in 1979.
William Blake is featured in Edition: Small Wonder
