William Blake + Book Illustration

An English painter, poet and printmaker, William Blake was one of the most expressive and original artists of the Romantic era. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake (1757-1827) worked in the teeming city of London during a time of great social and political change and influenced many with the philosophical undercurrents of his work. He considered the Bible the greatest poetry ever written and filled his paintings with religious visions. Blake married Catherine Boucher in 1782, later teaching her to read and write.