ELLIS & YEATS

Ellis Facsimile of the Echoing Green
Songs of Innocence
Plate 7

Facsimile of Original Outlines before Coloring of the Songs of Innocence and of Experience
Edwin Ellis
1889

Wikisource

"THE ILLUSTRATIONS.

Blake never intended the rough outlines which he prepared as anything but guides to his own hand in colouring the plates. He did not invariably follow them even as guides, but would vary the size of the plate at the edges and alter the less important details to please his own mood. In the great majority of these plates the facsimile here given is from the actual outline as used by Blake. He drew in stopping-out varnish on plain copper or zinc, and then dissolved away with acid all the rest of the surface, so that the outlines stood up, and could be printed from like types. Those pages where a little shading of a mossy kind is to be seen are photographed from copies already coloured by Blake, and the result printed in monochrome. In these cases no uncoloured original was accessible for re-production. The shading is due to the fact that a little of the colour-effect always united itself to the outline."

The three volume work on which Ellis and Yeats collaborated, included Blake's biography, the poetry including the Four Zoas, and numerous facsimiles from the Illuminated Books. It was published in 1893. 

The Works of William Blake
Poetic, Symbolic, and Critical 
Edwin Ellis
W . B. Yeats

The book can be downloaded from Clemson University.

Facsimile from Ellis and Yeats 
Marriage of Heaven and Hell 
Plate 16

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