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.
51 illustrations
A young woman leans towards a richly dressed swineherd while attendants gather around them.
Large pale swans crowd the woodland scene around a woman with flowing hair and clothes.
A long-haired woman pauses beside a young man sleeping beneath a tree.
A woman lifts one arm above a seated prince whose ankles and wrists are restrained.
A richly armoured rider reaches upward towards a princess leaning from a window.
A young woman extends her hand towards a crowned head within a squat iron stove.
An astonished young man approaches a richly dressed woman standing at a flower-covered doorway.
Seven serpentine heads extend across a garden towards a group of small human figures.
A great dark-winged figure stands before a luminous opening containing a kneeling woman.
A richly dressed figure recoils beside a fountain while a great face seems to emerge above the water.
A bent, darkly dressed woman climbs over the rail of a ship.
A man raises a sword above a heavy chain disappearing into an opening in the floor.
A long-haired woman rises from water filled with reeds and broad leaves.
A young woman raises one hand between a wild-haired flying figure and a crouching prince.
A hooded old woman leans on a stick beside a queen in a light gown.
A crowned king holds a large white duck against his chest.
A young man braces himself against a tree while holding a great pale swan.
A seated young woman is surrounded by richly dressed companions in a garden.
A crowned young man extends his hands above a great fish dropping towards the water.
A young man grasps the beard of a long-robed magician and pulls him violently forward.
A young man bends forward and empties a sack towards the flames at the foot of a tree.
A young woman leans into an embrace beneath a canopy of flowers.
A crowned ruler looks down from a high balcony over ranks of armed men.
A pale young woman raises her arms beneath dark tree trunks.
A man drives a team of horses across a field while another approaches holding a hatchet.
A long-haired young woman stands beside a tall, heavily layered bed.
An immense eagle spreads its wings above a mountainous landscape and distant towers.
Two richly dressed women sit in a wooded clearing while a plainly dressed attendant stands behind them.
A young woman holds a shaggy lion skin against a dark opening surrounded by flame-like lines.
A standing male figure raises one arm within a pointed starburst while the other arm extends outward.
A haloed Saint John holds a pen and book within a tall border filled with interlace and geometric compartments.
Two pale birds occupy separate red hexagonal panels, one with wings extended broadly and the other turning into a narrower rising curve.
A wide-sleeved ceremonial garment carries a great central sacred assembly surrounded by small crosses and additional figures.
A visitor approaches an ornate portal while another man bows at its entrance.
A tall Gothic gate tower rises above adjoining roofs and small street-level figures.
Tilted gravestones and low tombs crowd a cemetery beneath leafless branches.
A sculptor in a loose work garment stands between a small clay bust and a much larger seated male figure.
Three figures confront one another beneath the bare branches of a moonlit grove.
Unorna braces one hand against a table and reaches towards a high specimen with the other.
Workers use long poles and tools around a broad opening in the river ice.
Unorna leans back in the arms of an aged, white-robed man while another man stands beside them in a plant-filled hall.
A crowded company of armed men surrounds a kneeling figure in a snowy setting.
A standing swordsman faces a seated woman and children inside a screened room.
A richly dressed young woman stands in an open doorway while a man crouches nearby.
An armed man stands above a fallen figure within a Japanese interior.
An armed crew fills a large sailing vessel riding upon stylised waves.
Several figures struggle inside a Japanese room beside patterned screens.
A grotesque creature rises from tall grass before a man sheltering beneath a small roof.
48 of 51 shown
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10 plates
