The Trianon Press produced four different versions of Jerusalem. Blake only completed one full colored copy of the work, which never sold. A few uncolored versions, or tinted only in black and gray, also exist. This facsimile is of an incomplete set of colored prints for the poem (copy B) and includes four watercolor proofs for images that Blake printed on the verso of waste proofs from his Europe, a Prophecy. These trial proofs for Jerusalem show Blake’s re-use of precious paper. The facsimile at Union College was purchased by the Friends of the Library in 1974. Union also holds two copies of an introduction to and commentary on Jerusalem, written by Joseph Wicksteed, and published by the Trianon Press in 1953. These copies were donated to the library by Hans Rozendaal and Walter Tower.
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 more information.
The Trianon Press produced four different versions of Jerusalem. Blake only completed one colored copy of the work, which never sold. A few uncolored versions, or tinted only in black and gray, also exist. This facsimile is of uncolored version copy C, but it also includes a transcription of each plate. It was donated to the library by Walter Tower. Union also holds two copies of an introduction to and commentary on Jerusalem, written by Joseph Wicksteed, and published by the Trianon Press in 1953. These copies were donated to the library by Hans Rozendaal and Walter Tower.
On the combined title pages for Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1955 facsimile), two human figures, nude save for branches that act as loincloths, are both positioned horizontally in despairing postures with their faces obstructed from view. The figure on the ground appears to be female, and hovering inches above her is a male figure. Blake scholars theorize that these figures are intended to be Adam and Eve fleeing from the Garden of Eden. They cling to the verdant field beneath them as the sky is streaked with flames. The flames transform into smoke that forms the word “Songs” at the top of the image. Several orange-colored birds fly throughout the words of the title.
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 child feeds a small lamb from the palm of his hand in the foreground of this image from Songs of Innocence (1954 facsimile). The two are framed by thick green vines that border the illustration on this plate. Behind them is a field filled with grazing sheep. To the right of the herd is a cottage with a thatched straw roof. Trees give the cottage shade from the sun, which appears to be shining despite the deep purple sky (which could also be meant to be a mountain; this shape is not engraved on the plate). Vines surround the bulk of the text on this page, except for the title which appears above the vines in a larger font.
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.
In this illustration from Songs of Innocence (1954 facsimile), there are small scenes at the top and bottom of the plate. The top scene shows a line of uniformed boys walking two by two behind two older men wearing long coats, hats, and carrying some form of stick. In the bottom scene, girls walk two by two in the opposite direction as the boys. They wear long blue dresses with white aprons and bonnets. Leading them is a woman in a very plain dress who appears to be carrying a basket. Between these two orderly scenes is the text of the poem, throughout which small vines are drawn. The title, “Holy Thursday,” is also surrounded by vines beneath the topmost scene.
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.
Two flowers bloom from a patch of grass in the bottom right corner of this plate from Songs of Innocence (1954 facsimile). One flower is still drooping and not fully formed. The other is a magnificent fuchsia and has opened its petals. Between the petals sits a young woman wearing a long yellow gown and holding a newborn child. A female figure with wings wearing a blue gown stands across from the woman with arms extended, as if she is waiting to hold the child. The words “Infant Joy” are in light cursive writing at the top of the plate, with the rest of the poem nestled in between the stems of the flowers. The image reflects the “sweet joy” of the poem.
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.
On title page of Songs of Innocence (1954 facsimile), a mother, clad in a long pink gown and a white bonnet, sits upright in a chair while children kneel by her feet. In her lap is a large book in which the children appear to be engrossed. The illustrations of the children are mostly devoid of color. Behind the scene of the mother and children reading together is a deep blue colored lake. In the foreground of the illustration is a tree trunk that appears old and rotten, but has a large fertile branch extending from it. The branch splits into several parts that form the title, Songs of Innocence. Small human figures and birds perch on the various letters that make up the word Songs. The effect is calm, peaceful, and full of promise.
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 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.
The central figure in this image from Milton (1967 facsimile) is a female figure with flowing blond locks of hair. Her arms are raised up towards the sky, and a blue robe flows from her fingertips to the earth beneath her feet. This female is likely Ololon, a spirit symbolic of the character of Milton. On either side of her are male figures who face towards the center to look at her. They are encased in some sort of multi-colored cocoon that appears to be made of a soft material, such as grains or feathers. At the top of the plate are the words that end the epic poem: “To go Forth to the Great Harvest & Vintage of the Nations. Finis.”
Two muscular males are the center of this plate from Milton (1967 facsimile). Both are clothed only in loincloths. In front of a radiant sun, and seeming larger than life, is the figure of Blake’s mythological figure of poetic energy and imagination, Los. His arms are bent at the elbows and his palms face upwards, while his face is turned downwards. Crouching in front of him is a figure who appears to look up at Los in awe.
This plate from Milton (1967 facsimile) features a large body of text above a relatively simple illustration. In the image, a man walks on a path alongside a seaside cottage. The man is dressed in a formal blue coat and has short, dark hair. Above the cottage, an angelic figure looks down at the man. Blake scholars believe that the man in this plate is William Blake, and that the cottage is his cottage at Felpham where he resided between 1800 and 1803 while working on a commission for writer William Hayley as well as on Milton. The angelic figure is a representation of Ololon, a spiritual component of Milton.
In this plate from Milton (1967 facsimile), a muscular male figure, believed to represent William Blake himself, stands in the center of the plate with his eyes towards the sky and his arms outstretched. Dark billowing clouds that border the top of the plate range in color from black to rust. Parallel to Blake’s knee in the image on the plate is a glowing comet in the shape of a traditional star. In the poem, this comet is the descending spirit of Milton, who enters Blake's foot and uses it as a halfway point between Heaven and the human world. There are also steps in the left of the plate which Blake appears to have just walked down.
In this plate from Milton (1967 facsimile), a muscular nude male figure seems to be placing his hands violently on an older figure. The older male has long flowing hair and wears a long robe, seeming to potentially represent Moses. Blake scholars, however, theorize that the older figure is supposed to represent the god-like figure of oppression from Blake’s own mythology, Urizen, while the younger figure represents Milton, the epic hero of this poem. As Milton raises his hands to Urizen in a threatening manner, his stance splits the word “selfhood” at the bottom of the plate. Urizen holds a broken tablet containing Hebrew writing with one half of the tablet in each hand. Above the struggle between the two men stand several human figures holding musical instruments. They all appear angelic or cherubic in dress. Behind them, a vivid sunset appears to set the sky on fire.
At the start of Book 1 of Milton (1967 facsimile), the word “Milton” is in large scrawling letters at the top center of the plate. Framing it are two naked human figures, one male and one female. Both have their arms outstretched towards the top corners of the plate with their toes joining amid some vegetation towards the center of the plate. A border of black surrounds sprawling green vines and plants. In the top right of the plate, a bright red star shines brightly through the lush vegetation, holding the promise of what is to come.
A muscular male figure is center of this image from Milton (1967 facsimile). He appears to be illuminated by light, while the rest of the plate contains billowing dark clouds. His arm is extended into the clouds, as if to push them back and make room for more light. The title of the work is split in half and surrounds his frame. This male is thought to be either Milton, the hero of Blake’s epic poem, or perhaps even Blake himself, pushing through the shrouds of mystery in order to get to the heart of his work.
It is unusual for Blake to identify himself as an “author” on a title page; usually he signs himself as a printer. He may have used “author” here because he was grappling with the legacy of fellow writer Milton, whose work he admired in many ways, but whose Puritan outlook he was also trying to take apart. The text at the bottom, “To Justify the Ways of God to Man” is from Paradise Lost. Blake elevates the creative or poetic imagination as justification for his own views.
In this plate from Jerusalem (1951 facsimile), which appears at "The End of the Song of Jerusalem,” the writing at the top of the plate almost disappears out of view like a cloud of smoke as attention is drawn to the center of the page. In this image two figures, male and female, embrace. Their arched posture creates the appearance that they are in a whirlwind of fire. The female figure’s hair blends into the fire and is almost part of it, while the male is protected by his halo from the fire touching him at all. Yet the overwhelming message is of unity as the poem identifies “All Human Forms” as one in “the Life of Immortality.”
Although the images in Blake’s plates do not always seem to relate very clearly to the text, in this case from Jerusalem (1951 facsimile), the male figure at the bottom would seem to represent Albion, calling to his female counterpart Jerusalem in the lines of the poem at the top of the page: “Awake! Awake Jerusalem! O lovely Emanation of Albion / Awake and overspread all Nations as in Ancient Time / For lo: The Night of Death is past and the Eternal Day / Appears upon our Hills! Awake Jerusalem, and come away. / So spake the Vision of Albion . . .” The brilliant sun in this image sends the stars and moon of night sailing off the page.
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 Europe, a Prophecy (1969 facsimile), a creature that resembles a bat or a devil sits atop a throne that rests on a cloud. He wears a red robe and has large black wings extending from either side of his body. Blake scholars theorize that this creature is meant to be a caricature of King George III. Beneath him, two angels clad in sheer robes bow before him. They hold scepters that cross and point downwards towards the poetry at the bottom of the plate. The background is jet black darkness.
In this image from Europe, a Prophecy (1969 facsimile), a nude male figure lays face down on a bed of cold rock and earth. He has curly hair lit ablaze by a ring of fire that surrounds his head. This man is Orc, the revolutionary figure from Blake’s prophecies. Above him, a nude female kneels on a cloud and pulls a dark blanket of some material over Orc’s body. The female is Enitharmon, mother figure in the Blakean universe. The sky is a mixture of dark yellows and reds, and nude human figures dance in the background beneath the text.
A snake takes up the majority of this plate from Europe, a Prophecy (1969 facsimile). The snake is mostly green, but rust, purple, and blue flecks are scattered throughout its skin. It curves in large coils towards the middle of the plate but its head is raised in between the words of the title, with its tongue sticking out in an aggressive manner. The rest of the plate is fairly simple in terms of illustration. Pastel mountains are seen in the background, and sparse vegetation can be found around the snake and the words in the title.
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.
In this image at the end of America, a Prophecy (1963 facsimile), a female figure lies hunched over on the edge of a cliff, her hands outstretched in prayer. Tears flow from her eyes and become a waterfall that flows over the edge of the cliff as well. Upon and around her body are several smaller human figures. Several of the smaller figures appear to be reading tablets or books. Others appear to be playing pipes, praying, or herding sheep. Vines and flowers grow throughout the page and even spread into the lines of poetry. There are also several dead trees towards the top of the image. In the poem, revolution and the spirit of liberation have been unleashed, but the ending is not triumphant. The world has been engulfed in the conflict.
In this image from America, a Prophecy (1963 facsimile), the spirit of revolutionary energy, Orc, is seen naked in a powerful, animal-like pose. Around him are flames, either symbolizing revolution or Hell. The flames take up the majority of the plate, even surrounding some of the words in the poetry.
