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.
49 illustrations
A pale-robed woman stands among slender trees with deer gathered around her.
Tiny winged beings and small animals gather beneath a twisted tree.
Small winged fairies gather around a sleeping child in a flower-filled cradle.
A green-clad young woman reaches towards a plainly dressed traveller on a woodland path.
A young woman sits amid overflowing baskets and plates of fruit while animal-faced sellers crowd around her.
Sea-nymphs rise among long seaweed stems beside a small hanging bell.
A red-bearded gnome leads a brightly dressed procession through a dark woodland lane.
A cloaked rider carries a young woman on a pale horse among underwater rocks and creatures.
Three winged spirits spring around a tall flowering stem against an almost empty pale field.
A richly dressed fairy presents a great peacock-topped dish while three plain travellers watch.
A dark-haired winged figure hovers beside a sleeping woman in a pale yellow dress.
A winged fairy sits in a great purple nautilus shell with long curved spines.
A dark winged figure reaches towards a pale fairy floating above mountain slopes.
A mermaid sits on a pale bank with long golden hair flowing over her shoulders and tail.
A pale sea-nymph sits on a shell-like form and raises a long dark strand above the water.
A pointed blue cap and red wings distinguish the little figure perched on a fine thread.
A dark-haired maiden lifts enormous wings above a long blue-green robe and a train of peacock feathers.
A young man in pink leans towards a woman in a yellow robe beside a pond and a willow tree.
A young woman holds a slender flute across her body above a dark blue robe patterned with pale flowers.
Two pale-faced women advance through a rounded dark opening, one carrying a glowing lantern.
Elaborately dressed figures and marine-looking forms gather under a great tree beside ornate buildings.
Two richly dressed figures lean together as a line of dark birds surrounds them against a pale sky.
A crowded company of oddly shaped figures fills the page with pink robes, dark hair and a huge pale-green face.
A brilliantly coloured bird rests on a slim branch with its long tail falling towards a small figure below.
A dark-robed monk leans on a staff beside a deer standing in deep snow.
An old man sits high in a large tree whose branches burst into pink flowers.
A richly dressed company gathers upon broad garden steps beside peacocks.
Two figures ride a small vessel towards a tall sailing ship.
A young woman stands within a long embroidered veil above a green train.
A luminous winged figure appears beside a dark-haired prince in a wooded grotto.
A seated young traveller faces a large green lizard beneath a slender tree.
A young woman’s long golden hair falls towards the floor while two figures descend a ladder.
A young woman rests beneath a tree beside a red fox.
A woman in an ornate blue dress stands beside flowering shrubs and a stone balustrade.
A long-haired woman falls beside a pale rearing horse and a vertical wall of rock.
Two young figures stand among fruit trees and scattered leaves.
A small child sits upon a floating leaf beneath an enormous blue dragonfly.
A long-haired woman kneels beside a small child on a pale beach.
A small dark-clothed boy stands upon a stone ledge beside a great tree.
A tall red-haired woman rises among a circle of small swimming children.
A small child sits upon a branch above dark water beneath a full moon.
A vast red lobster lowers its claws towards a tiny seated child.
A red-haired fairy sits upon a pale cloud with large translucent wings.
Crabs gather around broad rock pillars and dark openings beneath an island.
A brilliant blue and brown bird spreads its long fine plumes above a group of small winged figures.
A vast pale woman takes shape within a towering mass of ice.
A long-haired woman bends towards lotus blossoms beneath a crescent moon.
An armed man raises one hand beside a seated woman among lotus flowers.
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