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Title
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London (1991)
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Student Commentary:
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In this image from the “experience” section of Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1991 facsimile), an old man with a long beard and a dirty blue robe walks through the streets of, presumably, London. He is using a crutch, as well as getting assistance from a small boy. The streets are dim and dirty. A beam of light shines down upon the old man and the boy. In the bottom sector of the plate, a man clothed in green warms his hands by a raging fire. The smoke billows up into the top half of the plate.
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. Compared to the 1955 reproduction, for example, this image, reproduced from a print made late in Blake’s lifetime, has a more yellow tone, possibly to emphasize the beam of light that is cast over the boy and old man. Not available at the William Blake Archive; consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
