Songs of Innocence: The Ecchoing Green (second plate) 1789 - 1825

This print, "The Ecchoing Green," was made by William Blake, using a technique called illuminated printing. This was his own invention, combining image and text on a single copper plate. Blake would write and draw in a greasy resist, then etch away the unprotected areas with acid. This left the design standing in relief, like a rubber stamp. The plate could then be inked and printed. Because Blake hand-colored each impression with watercolors, no two are exactly alike. Look closely, and you will see how the linear quality of the etching beautifully complements the delicate washes of color. Blake used these techniques to integrate word and image, embodying his Romantic vision of wholeness. He was not only a poet, but a visual artist too, refusing the rigid separation of disciplines that characterized the industrializing world.