William Blake Facts & Worksheets

William Blake was an English poet, painter, engraver, and printmaker and is considered one of the most influential and representative artists of the Romantic Age. While he was alive, his work was largely unrecognized. Back then, his contemporaries thought his idiosyncratic views were unreasonable. However, his visual work and poetry are now celebrated and regarded as groundbreaking and immensely creative.

See the fact file below for more information on William Blake, or you can download our 28-page William Blake worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

• William Blake was born on November 28, 1757, in the district of Soho in London, England.
• He was born the third of seven children; only five survived infancy.
• His parents, James and Catherine Wright Blake, raised their children in moderate circumstances.
• James worked as a hosier, which is a merchant of legwear.
• His parents were firm in holding nonconformist religious beliefs.
• Blake learned how to read and write mostly at home under the guidance of his mother, Catherine.
• Blake reportedly spoke of having visions of divine personas at a young age.
• He said that he saw God’s head appear in a window when he was four years old.
• Around age nine, he said he saw a tree “filled with angels” in the countryside.
• These spiritual visions eventually became the source of inspiration for many of his poems and drawings.
• However, his parents disapproved of him speaking of these visions.
• Encouraging his artistic talents, James and Catherine enrolled Blake at a drawing school when he was 10 years old.
• In 1772, 14-year-old Blake began his apprenticeship with engraver James Basire, which would span seven years.
• Blake was exposed to the Gothic style of art and architecture during his apprenticeship, particularly at Westminster Abbey.

ENGRAVING CAREER

•  After Blake’s seven-year term ended, he studied briefly at the newly formed Royal Academy.
• It was also after his apprenticeship that he began working as a professional engraver.
• He was frequently commissioned by booksellers to engrave illustrations for publications, novels, and biographies.

THE GORDON RIOTS OF 1780

• Blake was deeply affected by the Gordon Riots incited by anti-Catholic sentiment led by Lord George Gordon, head of the Protestant Association that broke out in London in June of 1780.
• Destructive mobs burned houses, churches, and prisons.
• Blake was swept up and eventually got involved in a mob that attacked and burned Newgate prison in London.
• The violence and uncontrollable destruction during these times served as inspiration for William Blake’s works, such as “Europe” (1794) and “America” (1793).

MARRIAGE

• In 1782, William Blake met Catherine Boucher, an illiterate young woman, while he had just been recovering from a failed marriage proposal.
• Blake and Catherine courted for a year before marrying on August 18, 1782. 
• Blake taught Catherine how to read and write.
• She was also tutored by Blake in draftsmanship and proved invaluable in helping execute some of his designs.
• They did not bear any children.

CAREER AND MAJOR WORKS

• In 1783, William Blake published his first collection of poems, “Poetical Sketches,” through the support of his colleague and friend John Flaxman and Harriet Mathew, a patron of the arts.
• Blake inherited money after his father died in 1784.
• He used a portion of his inheritance to open a print shop with his former fellow apprentice James Parker.
• Their business failed after several years, and Blake went back to being an independent engraver and illustrator. He also trained his closest younger brother, Robert, on how to draw, engrave, and paint.
• In the winter of 1787, Robert fell ill with tuberculosis; he died shortly after.
• He said he saw Robert’s spirit ascend through the ceiling and “clapping its hands for joy,” as documented by Alexander Gilchrist, William’s first biographer. 
• He claimed that in a vision, Robert taught him the “illuminated printing” method of painting his designs on copper in a liquid impenetrable to acid before the plate was etched and printed, which he used in his famous works like “Songs of Innocence” (1789), “Songs of Experience” (1794), “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” (1790), and “Jerusalem” (1804).
• Illuminated printing is also known as relief etching.
• Blake’s “illuminated books” included children’s books, prophetic works, biblical satire, and ministerial verses, which tackled various subjects such as tyranny, hypocrisy, religion, poverty, racial inequality, and the exploitation of children.
• From 1793 to 1795, he became known for his illuminated works, which became known as “Minor Prophecies,” including “Europe” (1794), “The First Book of Urizen” (1794), “The Book of Los” (1795), “The Song of Los” (1795), and “The Book of Ahania” (1795).
• Although he was known for his illuminated works, his commercial engravings were created mainly by intaglio engraving, the standard type in the 18th century.
• He used intaglio engraving in his own work, “Illustrations of the Book of Job,” which he finished just before he passed away.
• As a radical nonconformist, William Blake voiced his opposition to tyranny and the English monarchy in his works “The French Revolution” (1791), “America, a Prophecy” (1793), “Visions of the Daughters of Albion” (1793), and “Europe, a Prophecy” (1794).

FRESCO TECHNIQUE

• William Blake also employed a technique, he called “fresco” wherein he used oil and tempera paints mixed with chalks.
• After painting the design on a flat surface, he would press the print on paper against the damp paint, then finish it in ink and watercolor.
• At this time, his notable works in ink and watercolor include “The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins” (1799-1800), “The Great Red Dragon and The Woman Clothed in Sun” (1805), and “The Angels Hovering Over the Body of Christ in the Sepulchre” (1805). 
• In 1808, he exhibited his watercolor works at the Royal Academy, but to no success or critical acclaim.
• From 1809 to 1810, he held an exhibition of 16 watercolor and tempera works above the Blake family’s home and hosiery shop, but he and his ideas remained largely unpopular.

FELPHAM

• In 1800, William Blake relocated to Felpham, in Sussex (present-day West Sussex), England, and signed on to illustrate the works of poet William Hayley.
• Blake began writing his notable epic poem “Milton” while in Felpham.
• In 1803, he left Felpham and moved back to London.

CONTEMPORARIES AND FRIENDS

• Despite Blake’s unpopularity and poverty, he had the support and friendship of a group of younger English artists who referred to themselves as “The Ancients,” which included Samuel Palmer, George Richmond, and Edward Calvert.
• Blake became friends with painter John Linnell who commissioned him to illustrate Dante’s “Divine Comedy” from 1825 to 1827.
• Blake was also friends with John Flaxman, an English sculptor; Henry Fuseli, a Swiss painter; and George Cumberland, an English printmaker and art collector.
• Like William Blake, the following artists are famous for being part of the Romanticism movement: Francisco Goya, John Constable, Eugène Delacroix, and Ivan Aivazovsky.
• English Romantic poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Samuel Taylor Coleridge also rejected the Neoclassical focus that defined 18th-century painting and poetry the way William Blake did.

DEATH AND LEGACY

• William Blake drew his last breath on August 12, 1827.
• A memorial to him and his wife Catherine was put up in Westminster Abbey in 1957.
• His unpopularity took a turn when his posthumous biography “Life of William Blake” was published in 1863.
• He is now regarded as an influential Romantic artist and poet.

William Blake Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about William Blake across 28 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about William Blake. Blake was an English poet, painter, engraver, and printmaker and is considered one of the most influential and representative artists of the Romantic Age.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. William Blake Facts
2. Blake’s Biography
3. Valuable Vocabulary
4. William’s Work
5. Event Timeline
6. Verse Match
7. Poem Interpretation
8. English Poets
9. Agree or Disagree?
10. Inferno Images
11. Radical Poem

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was William Blake?

William Blake (1757-1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. He is considered one of the greatest figures of Romanticism in literature and art. Blake’s works were often visionary and mystical, exploring themes of spirituality, imagination, and the human condition. He is best known for his poetry collections, including “Songs of Innocence” and “Songs of Experience,” as well as his intricate and highly symbolic illustrations.

What were some of William Blake’s major works?

Some of William Blake’s major works include:

• “Songs of Innocence” (1789): A collection of poems that celebrates the purity and joy of childhood, often accompanied by Blake’s own illustrations.
• “Songs of Experience” (1794): A companion collection to “Songs of Innocence,” which presents a contrasting view of the world, exploring themes of corruption, oppression, and the loss of innocence.
• “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” (1790-1793): A prose and poetry work in which Blake explores the integration of opposites and challenges traditional religious conventions.
• “Jerusalem” (1804-1820): A long poem that symbolically depicts a mythical journey towards spiritual redemption and the creation of a new Jerusalem in England.

What influenced William Blake’s work?

Blake drew inspiration from various sources, both personal and intellectual. Some of the major influences on his work include:

• His religious upbringing: Blake was deeply influenced by his religious upbringing in a Dissenting household, which instilled in him a sense of spiritual fervor and a critical view of organized religion.
• Mythology and folklore: Blake drew heavily from biblical stories, as well as mythology and folklore from various traditions, incorporating these elements into his own symbolic and visionary narratives.
• Enlightenment philosophy: Blake was critical of the rationalism and materialism of the Enlightenment period, and his works often challenged the dominant intellectual and philosophical trends of his time.
• Visual arts: Blake was also influenced by visual arts, including medieval illuminated manuscripts and Renaissance art. He combined poetry and visual elements in his own work, creating a unique fusion of word and image.

How was William Blake’s work received during his lifetime?

During his lifetime, Blake’s work received little recognition or commercial success. He was largely considered an eccentric and obscure figure, and his unconventional ideas and artistic style were often met with incomprehension. Blake was primarily supported by a small circle of patrons and friends who appreciated his unique vision. It was only towards the end of his life and in the years following his death that his work began to gain recognition and influence subsequent generations of artists and writers.

What is William Blake’s legacy?

William Blake’s legacy is significant and far-reaching. His innovative approach to poetry and art, characterized by his fusion of text and image, has had a profound impact on subsequent generations of artists, poets, and thinkers. His visionary and mystical exploration of human nature, spirituality, and social issues continues to resonate with audiences today. Blake’s emphasis on individual imagination and the power of creativity has made him an influential figure in the fields of literature, art, and philosophy. His work continues to be studied, celebrated, and interpreted by scholars, and his artistic techniques and ideas remain a source of inspiration for many.

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