Songs of Innocence: A Cradle Song

"Songs of Innocence: A Cradle Song" by William Blake is a key plate from the artist's foundational illuminated book, Songs of Innocence. Executed and hand-colored over a long period spanning 1789 to 1825, this work exemplifies Blake’s highly personalized and innovative printmaking technique. Blake developed his unique method of relief etching specifically to integrate his visual designs and poetic texts onto a single copper plate, ensuring the text itself became part of the graphic composition rather than a separate printed element.

The print was initially pulled using orange-brown ink. Following this impression, the sheet was meticulously hand-colored using luminous watercolor and touches of reflective shell gold. This combination of print and painting allowed Blake to transform his textual works into original, highly individualized examples of illuminated art, a characteristic practice throughout his career.

The subject matter, as indicated by the title, concerns themes of divine protection, maternal devotion, and spiritual simplicity, which are central concepts in the state of ‘Innocence’ within Blake’s complex spiritual mythology. The visual design beautifully reinforces the poem’s gentle nature, capturing the idealized peace associated with childhood and protective faith. This specific historical print, a fine example of Blake’s late coloring style, resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. As many of Blake’s essential prints from this era are now in the public domain, they remain vital objects for scholarly study and general appreciation of this influential Romantic era artist.