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.
84 illustrations
The foreground reptiles lie close to the water, their heavy bodies contrasting with the small birds in the sky.
A sword-bearing angel stands in a break of dazzling light while two human figures bend away beneath the trees.
A standing man looks towards a fallen body in a rocky hollow under a turbulent sky.
A crowded group clings to a rock as waves surround them; a large cat holds its young above the water nearby.
An immense stepped tower rises above a crowded foreground of people and scattered masonry.
Lot presses forward with a daughter on either arm while his wife stands alone behind them, looking towards the burning city.
A woman with a vessel raised near her head stands with a child before two figures outside a tent.
Isaac carries a great bundle of firewood above his shoulder as Abraham walks beside him with a staff.
A company carrying a covered body moves towards a shadowed opening in a rock face.
A young Joseph stands among merchants beneath loaded camels, turning towards the men beside him while another company gestures in the distance.
A young speaker raises his hand before a seated ruler in a vast hall of carved columns.
Joseph sits upon an elevated Egyptian throne with both arms extended while his brothers kneel, reach and turn towards him.
An armed company gathers across a rocky height while a commanding figure points towards the distant sky.
A woman stands inside a tent beside a fallen figure, with tools held low near her body.
Samson sits on a cushioned seat with one hand lifted into his long hair, turning towards Delilah as she stands beside him.
A great standing figure presses against two columns while crowds and broken architecture fill the surrounding hall.
A kneeling woman gathers stalks at the edge of a group of workers in a broad field.
Reapers turn from their gathered crop towards a cart carrying a great carved chest, with cattle standing close beside it.
Saul rises beside his throne with a long spear raised towards the young David, who recoils with his harp.
A small group stands near a great dark rock above figures gathered at a distance across the valley.
A rider is caught beneath the branches of a large tree as another armed figure approaches below.
David stands at a palace doorway with one hand raised against his head while seated and kneeling figures gather below him.
An elderly crowned figure sits with a written scroll in one hand and loose pages around his feet.
A standing guard holds a child before a seated ruler while two women reach into the space between them.
A great lion sits above a body beside a donkey and a distant traveller on a narrow path.
A bright bolt drops from dark cloud into a crowded company of armed men beneath a standing figure.
A robed figure rises through a bright bank of cloud while another leans back below with one arm raised.
A woman falls from a high opening while riders, raised weapons and animals gather beneath the wall.
A hooded figure sits on a broad stone ledge above an open landscape, with a staff beside the lowered hands.
An immense winged figure rises above fallen and recoiling soldiers beneath a storm-filled sky.
A robed figure reclines on large stone steps with a writing surface near the body and a bright opening beyond.
A tall robed speaker raises an arm above listeners gathered in several levels around him.
A robed figure stands above a vast company of skeletal and partly restored bodies in a rocky hollow.
A young robed figure stands beside water and great stone structures, with other bodies receding behind him.
Several pale figures stand together in a deep glowing opening while a ruler and attendants look down from above.
A banquet fills a great columned hall while a ruler gestures towards an interruption beyond the gathered guests.
A pale standing figure occupies a rocky enclosure among several great cats while a shaft of light enters from above.
A hooded figure stands alone against a pale, open horizon with a long staff held beside the body.
A speaker gestures inside a huge temple while a gathered court looks towards the floor and the surrounding chamber.
A mounted heavenly figure and sweeping attendants descend among bodies recoiling on the steps of an immense temple.
A mother and child rest low in a stable while an elderly man and visiting figures gather around them.
Three travellers ride camels above a distant line of companions, beneath a sky whose small bright star commands their attention.
A young figure stands among elderly readers and speakers in a stone chamber, while open books and seated bodies fill the foreground.
A robed figure bends towards a person resting upon a low bed, surrounded by people whose faces and hands direct attention to the encounter.
A speaker sits high among trees and rocks, with listeners gathered closely below him and further figures receding into the landscape.
Jesus sits on a low step with children gathered close around his knees as mothers and other adults approach with infants.
A crowded boat rises among broken waves while an upright figure stands within it beneath a wide and troubled night sky.
A kneeling man extends his arms towards a standing robed figure, while an attendant holds him and a circle of onlookers remains nearby.
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