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Title
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Frontispiece: Songs of Innocence (1991)
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Student Commentary:
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A male figure takes up the foreground in the frontispiece to Songs of Innocence, included in the combined edition of Songs of Innocence and Experience (1955 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 image should be compared to that of other reproductions in the library’s collections, made by different hands or from different original copies. For example, this image, reproduced from a print made late in Blake’s lifetime, has a lighter and more whimsical coloring compared to the 1955 version, made from a different copy. The figures appear to have a lavender coloring to them and there is a warm, gold aura around each of the figures, making them feel more magical and less like actual people. Not available at the William Blake Archive; consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
