Discover historical illustrations by subject, artist and book.
Creation and rebellion in Blake’s illuminated plates.
Norwegian fairy tales illustrated by Kay Nielsen.
Four colour drawings from a 1908 Gnostic text.
From the dark wood to Paradise with Gustave Doré.
Ethelwynne Quail’s visions of the spirit world.
Art Deco studies of fear by John Vassos.
50 illustrations
A solar and lunar pair embraces near a cavern at the water’s edge.
A vast wind-blown figure strides through a landscape with a small human form visible within his body.
A woman whose broad body takes the form of a globe holds a small child at her breast.
An armed figure stands beside a great egg resting on a low platform.
A woman stands beside a great steaming vat with cloth held in both hands.
A sower steps across a field scattering small round forms from a basket at his side.
A nest and birds crown an immense rocky pinnacle above a town.
A man and woman embrace in an open landscape while an attendant offers a cup.
A woman holds a small toad against her breast while a man faces her on a city terrace.
An old man sits inside a small round pavilion beneath a fruit-bearing tree.
Two male figures stand in a stone interior before a seated worker at a bright hearth.
A seated woman is washed by an attendant while an armed companion waits at her side.
An airborne figure extends across the sky above a rocky peak crowned by a small monument.
A seated figure rests beside a river with a broad town rising on the opposite bank.
A long winged dragon bends into a nearly closed circle with its tail held in its mouth.
A potter sits at his wheel with a vessel forming beneath his hands.
A winged lioness leans across a standing lion with their bodies tightly joined.
Four round spheres hang one above another in an open sky.
A worker extends a tool into a blazing hearth while a vessel of round objects rests on a stand nearby.
Three closely joined figures confront a fourth who lifts a club above them.
An armoured figure holds a broad shield between a nude woman and rising flames.
A robed geometer uses long compasses against a brick wall covered with nested shapes.
A woman stands beside a hearth filled with vessels and rising steam.
A small armed figure emerges above the head of a reclining bearded man as another raises a hammer.
A wolf bends over the body of a fallen crowned man.
A man and woman raise weapons on either side of a coiled dragon.
A crowned female figure stands with a long inscribed scroll in each hand.
A traveller on crutches stops before the high gate of a formal garden.
A crowned figure reclines within a dark heated chamber beside a vessel of water.
A large spotted salamander lies calmly among sweeping flames and billowing smoke.
Two nude figures with solar and lunar faces stand together beside the sea.
A crowned man struggles in the sea with one arm lifted above the waves.
A man leans from a rocky bank and lifts a branching form from the water with a long tool.
A pale two-headed body lies on a broad plank above flames.
A seated woman tends a child near smoke or flame while another raises a small body beside a rocky fire.
Small figures travel and work across a broad landscape of hills, fields and river banks.
A powerful lion stands in an open landscape with a leafy wreath around its head.
A seated man and woman lean together beneath a small two-headed figure standing on raised ground.
Two men confront one another on a road while a winged Sphinx occupies the middle distance.
Two attendants bend over separate square basins beneath statues of a man and woman.
A young man lies beneath trees while a woman approaches with outstretched arms.
A traveller holds a lamp while following a woman across a dark landscape.
A great bird spreads its wings from the summit of a narrow rock above a small town.
A crowned body lies within a long open chest while standing figures reach towards its separated parts.
A radiant sun occupies the upper corner beside a central globe and a smaller pale sphere.
A crowned bearded figure stands with both arms extended and an eagle balanced on each hand.
Two large canine bodies lock together with teeth and paws pressed against one another.
A crowned man receives a cup from an attendant while a physician waits beside him.
48 of 50 shown
27 plates
22 plates
4 plates
24 plates
10 plates
10 plates
