Holy Thursday (1926)

Title

Holy Thursday (1926)

Student Commentary:

In this illustration from Songs of Innocence (1926 facsimile), there are small scenes at the top and bottom of the plate. The top scene shows a line of uniformed boys walking two by two behind two older men wearing long coats, hats, and carrying some form of stick. In the bottom scene, girls walk two by two in the opposite direction as the boys. Leading them is a woman in a very plain dress who appears to be carrying a basket. Between these two orderly scenes is the text of the poem, throughout which small vines are drawn. The title, “Holy Thursday,” is also surrounded by vines beneath the topmost scene.

The coloring and impact of this image should be compared to that of other reproductions in the library’s collections, made by different hands or from different original copies. This copy, for example, puts more emphasis on the leading figure in the bottom scene by making the figure be in black clothing, and the two figures behind have black accents. Compared to the 1954 facsile that has an overall brown hue, this image has a lighter feeling, with the green and blue colors being used. These color choices could possibly be intended to relate back to the title page by representing the sky and trees.

Links:

Detailed View of Image at the William Blake Archive

About this Book

Source

William Blake@Union Digital Collection