drawing

1780–1808

Exhibits six times at the Royal Academy

Despite his antagonism towards Reynolds, Blake submitted works to the Royal Academy on six occasions between 1780 and 1808.

1785–1791 · Bostadsort

Poland Street

1788

Invents relief etching

In 1788, aged 31, Blake invented relief etching, or “illuminated printing”: text and designs are drawn on a copper plate in acid-resistant ink and etched so that the protected areas stand in relief, and the printed pages are coloured by hand in watercolours. He used it for most of his well-known works, including “Songs of Innocence and of Experience”, “The Book of Thel”, “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” and “Jerusalem”.

1791 · Bostadsort

Hercules Buildings

1791

Illustrates Mary Wollstonecraft's “Original Stories from Real Life”

Blake illustrated Mary Wollstonecraft's “Original Stories from Real Life” (2nd edition, 1791). They seem to have shared some views on sexual equality and the institution of marriage, but no evidence is known that they ever met.