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.
55 illustrations
A richly dressed young woman looks down towards a pool enclosed by slender trees.
A pale woman stands at the foot of a blue palace half concealed by cascading foliage.
A solitary robed traveller stands among towering trunks, exposed roots and dark foliage, turning his face toward a narrow opening in the wood.
A young woman extends her hand towards a crowned head within a squat iron stove.
A boat from an enormous ship brings six sailors to Olaf Jansen's becalmed sloop near a forested riverbank.
During their tour of the inner continent, the travellers encounter a vast herd of elephants tearing branches from giant trees.
A solitary student and the image before him give Bose’s Ekalavya a severe, inward atmosphere.
Rama draws his bow towards the leaping deer, fixing the deceptive chase at a moment of poised violence.
Rama sits beneath trees and extends a small ring towards the standing Hanuman.
Mazumdar draws Radha and Krishna close together beneath the dark shelter of trees.
A traveller bends down beside the stream while a seated guide and a group of women watch within a wooded clearing.
A long patterned creature curves over a smaller bowed figure, crossing the body in a loop.
Workers and animals pull massive timber through a wooded ravine while tree trunks rise into the dark canopy.
A winged visitor and an unclothed man face one another at the edge of a densely wooded garden.
A seated man holds a curved instrument or staff beside his body while lifting one hand among hanging leaves.
A laurel-crowned portrait shows Dante in profile, his long head covering and layered robes outlined against a dark background.
Two robed figures stand close together under spreading branches, with a pale strip of distant sky visible beyond them.
Two figures pause near a slender tree as the last light fades above an open, distant landscape.
Two unclothed figures run between pale twisting trunks, one reaching backward while the other follows through a forest crowded with angular branches.
A stream descends through a rocky, forested valley beneath a distant mountain marked by a pale cross-like formation.
A small rider moves beneath a dense stand of extremely tall reddish trees.
Great tree trunks frame a distant blue landscape while small riders pause near the lower edge.
A mounted youth holds a long spear as his horse steps beside a tall tree hung with leaves.
Two pale figures lie close together beside a pool enclosed by dense dark trees.
Dense rain falls before dark trees and a pale pool of water.
A young hunter stands beside a cloaked figure as a deer approaches through the forest.
A European visitor holds a small sphere before a group of Indigenous figures in a wooded shelter.
An immense wall of closely drawn trees rises above a small illuminated opening near the bottom of the image.
A pale owl-like form rises from the undergrowth before a dense wall of dark tree trunks.
Two clothed travellers stand among dense trees before crouching and approaching figures.
An old figure sits among tangled roots while pale airborne forms and small creatures gather in a moonlit forest.
A tall pale figure stands among dark trees beneath monkeys gathered in the upper branches.
A rider in red passes above a web of roots crowded with little faces and outstretched hands.
A narrow opening descends between steep banks covered in trees, vines and tangled vegetation.
A broad stream divides around rocks before dropping into a bright foaming pool.
A helmeted winged figure pauses beside an enormous tree amid a dense forest of vines and undergrowth.
A spotted feline lies with its head lowered beside a large rectangular stone amid low vegetation.
A tall rocky citadel rises above a riverside town and the distinctive cathedral spire.
A young figure in a brown tunic, boots and soft cap stands among dense leaves.
A tall weathered mill with broad sails rises beside a small path and low surrounding trees.
A large antlered deer faces forward through pale mist and dense forest growth.
A young woman in a pale green dress and white head covering sits beside a huge moss-covered tree.
White water moves around dark rocks beneath steep wooded banks.
A woman sits working at a crowded table beside an open window while tools and wooden shoes fill the room.
Two steep rock walls rise above a narrow stretch of water and distant buildings.
Broken towers and long roofless walls rise above a bright rocky hillside.
A small timbered mill and its wheel stand among rocks and flowering plants beside a narrow watercourse.
A group of small children hurries between enormous contorted tree trunks beneath a dense canopy.
48 of 55 shown
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10 plates
