Blake, William, 1757-1827

The collection consists of documents, correspondence, and drawings by the English artist William Blake and his colleague John Linnell. Included are business and financial documents covering the relationship between Blake and Linnell, a letter from Blake to Linnell, two drawings by Blake, and a portrait of Blake by Linnell. The items were acquired by the library between 1941 and 1973.

This collection comprises an extra-illustrated copy--with many engravings and original manuscript letters--of the second edition of John Thomas Smith's Nollekens and his times, comprehending a life of that celebrated sculptor: and memoirs of several contemporary artists, from the time of Roubillac, Hogarth, and Reynolds, to that of Fuseli, Flaxman, and Blake (London : Henry Colburn, 1829).

The collection consists of a series of tracings by John Linnell of 99 of the 102 drawings made by William Blake to illustrate Dante's Divina Commedia.