Illustration to Edward Young's Night Thoughts, Page 90 - William Blake
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Description
A fine art print of William Blake's engraving for Edward Young's Night Thoughts, featuring two figures in a meditative, spiritual composition.
This engraving is one of the many illustrations William Blake produced for Edward Young's poem, Night Thoughts. Blake was commissioned to create a series of designs that would surround the text of the poem, resulting in a unique integration of visual art and literature. The composition features two figures, one standing and one reclining, rendered with the characteristic linear clarity Blake employed throughout his career. The standing figure, often interpreted as a spiritual guide or angelic presence, leans over the recumbent man, whose posture suggests a state of contemplation or spiritual awakening.
Blake's approach to this project involved creating large watercolour drawings, which were then etched onto copper plates. The text of the poem is placed centrally, with the figures framing the verses. This layout allows the imagery to interact directly with the philosophical and religious themes explored by Young. The figures are defined by clean, precise outlines, a hallmark of Blake's graphic style. The shading is minimal, relying on the strength of the line to convey form and movement. The background is largely empty, which directs the viewer's attention to the interaction between the two figures and the surrounding text. This work reflects the artist's interest in visionary subjects and his ability to translate abstract theological concepts into tangible, human forms. The print captures the quiet, meditative quality of the poem, providing a visual counterpoint to Young's reflections on mortality and the divine. As a piece of book illustration, it demonstrates the technical skill involved in combining typography with original artwork, a process that required careful planning to ensure the balance between the two elements remained consistent across the entire volume.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Illustration to Edward Young's Night Thoughts, Page 90 - William Blake
Artist Biography
William Blake
He married Catherine Boucher in 1782. She was illiterate at the time and signed the marriage register with an X. He taught her to read, write, and engrave, and she became his collaborator for the next forty-five years: mixing paint, operating the printing press, hand-colouring plates, and binding the finished pages into covers.
Their working method was Blake's own invention, revealed to him (he said) in a dream by the spirit of his dead brother Robert. Relief etching reversed the standard printmaking process: instead of cutting lines into copper, Blake wrote and drew on the plate in acid-resistant varnish, then dissolved the surrounding metal with acid, leaving text and image raised. This allowed him to compose poetry and illustration simultaneously on a single plate, print them together, then hand-colour each sheet in watercolour. Every copy was therefore unique. Songs of Innocence and of Experience was produced this way. He sold fewer than thirty copies during his lifetime.
In 1803, he physically threw a soldier named John Schofield out of his garden in Felpham. He was charged with assault and with uttering treasonable expressions against the King. He was acquitted at the Chichester assizes in January 1804.
Newton, painted in 1795, shows the scientist as a young man with the body of a Greek god, bent forward at the bottom of a dark ocean, fixing his gaze on a pair of compasses, measuring and drawing on a scroll that appears to project from his own head. It is a painting about the limits of reason: beautiful, precise, and missing everything beyond the edge of the paper. The Ancient of Days, from the same period, depicts his mythological figure Urizen crouching at the edge of a void, reaching down with a compass to measure the darkness below.
He died on 12 August 1827, working on illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy. He was buried at Bunhill Fields. The wider recognition came decades later.
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