Songs of Innocence: A Dream

Songs of Innocence: A Dream by William Blake is a remarkable example of the artist’s unique approach to the illuminated book format, created between 1794 and 1825. This particular impression of the plate was produced using relief etching, a highly individualized technique developed by Blake to merge image and text on a single copper plate. The print was pulled in an evocative orange-brown ink, which Blake then meticulously hand-colored. The addition of watercolor and touches of shell gold highlights demonstrates the personal, labor-intensive attention given to each copy of his composite work, Songs of Innocence and of Experience.

The composition illustrates one of the central poems within the collection, focusing on themes of childhood wonder, imagination, and protective innocence, hallmarks of the Romantic period in which Blake worked. Blake functioned as the author, designer, printer, and publisher for his own materials, allowing him unparalleled control over the finished product and blurring the traditional distinctions between literary and visual arts. His masterful command of the printed medium enabled him to disseminate his deeply spiritual and socially conscious messages widely.

Because the creation dates span several decades, the variations in ink color and hand-coloring reflect the long duration over which Blake worked on and reprinted his major illuminated books. This unique, hand-finished print is preserved today in the prints and drawings collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As this foundational work of British Romanticism resides in a major institutional collection, high-resolution images of these historic prints are often made available through public domain initiatives, enabling widespread study of Blake’s visionary artistry.