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Title
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Frontispiece: Songs of Innocence (2016)
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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 of Experience (2016 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, here Michael Phillips’s experimentation with Blake’s printing techniques is on show. The black and white image allows for more of the original details and lines to be seen; in most copies they are covered with added color. Not available at the William Blake Archive; consult the book in Schaffer Library for a detailed view of the image.
