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Top 20 Surprising Facts about William Blake

*Originally Published by Lilian in March 2022, Updated by Charity K in May 2023, and Updated by Nellian in May 2024.

‘Tyger! Tyger! burning bright, in the forests of the night…’

A Poem by William Blake

William Blake is regarded as one of the greatest poets and printmakers in British history. This is despite his being unknown during his lifetime and becoming famous only after his death.

He was born in 1757 in Soho, London, United Kingdom. William had seven siblings, two of whom died in infancy.

Growing up, William was fascinated by the Bible and it remained to be of great influence in his life.

He championed imagination and its power. This made people around him think he had lost his mind.

As his art became famous, Blake was considered an influential figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age.

While he was a great and talented artist, Blake did not lack critics. Jonathan Jones was his greatest critic. He claimed Blake鈥檚 works to be the greatest to be ever produced in Britain.      

In 2002, Blake was ranked number 38 in the BBC’s poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.

Here are 20 Surprising facts about William Blake.  

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1. Blake realized his childhood dreams of becoming an artist

The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with Sun (1805). Illustration by William Blake. Image sourced from

William Blake was born to James Blake, who owned a hosiery shop, and Catherine Wright Blake. He went to school to learn reading and writing until the age of ten.

Blake had always wanted to be an artist from an early age. When he was 10, his parents realized his talent. They then enrolled him in Henry Pars鈥檚 Drawing School in London.

In 1779, William Blake enrolled in the Royal Academy Schools, but he hated life drawing. He preferred classical sculptures and Greek vase paintings instead.

This is when Blake started engraving copies of drawings of Greek antiquities purchased for him by his father. Blake preferred this practice to actual drawing.

Through these drawings, Blake was exposed to classical forms through the work of Raphael, Michelangelo, Maarten van Heemskerck, and Albrecht D眉rer.

2. Blake got most of his schooling from his mother

After learning how to read and write, Blake left school at the age of ten. He was then educated at home by his mother Catherine Blake.

His family was considered well-off and he was gifted prints and bound books from his parents. The Bible was an early and profound influence on Blake and remained a source of inspiration throughout his life.

3. His early career involved lots of engraving

Oberon, Titania, and Puck with Fairies Dancing (1786) by William Blake. Sourced from

After his parents saw his talent in art, they sent him to Henry Pars’ drawing school at the age of ten. This is where Blake learned to copy from prints and plaster casts.

In 1772 when he turned 14, Blake got into an apprenticeship under the engraver James Basire.

Growing up, Blake did not consider himself a poet or a painter but a craftsman. He believed that all artists should consider themselves craftsmen.

At 21, he became a professional engraver. It was through engraving that he earned his living throughout his life.

His works started gaining increased interest in the mid-19th century. It became even more popular by the 20th century.

Because of his exceptional skills, Blake was revered for the profound, intellectual, creative, and mystical components of his art.

It was also his father’s death that allowed him to perfect his printing method. This allowed him to merge his visionary writings and images on a single printing plate.

4. Early in his career, Blake depended on benefactors

Blake鈥檚 early engravings were copies of designs of other artists. This changed later after he established his reputation and received commissions to engrave his designs.

But most of Blake’s livelihood since he did not receive lots of commissions. One of his return customers was the well-intentioned William Hayley.

Hayley was one of his clients who was more concerned with his well-being than his art. Blake was commissioned to depict Dante’s Divine Comedy in 1826.

While working under James Basire, Blake was sent to do drawings of graves and monuments at Westminster Abbey. This was where his love for gothic art was born.

In later years, a new generation of young Romantic artists began to notice Blake’s works.

5. William Blake heavily opposed the Church of England

Blake was a committed Christian who was hostile to the Church of England and all other forms of organized religion.

Interestingly, the Bible was one of Blake鈥檚 long-time inspirations. Furthermore, he was influenced by the ideals and ambitions of the French and American revolutions.

He met and made friends with John Flaxman, Thomas Stothard, and George Cumberland. Stothard and Cumberland at the Royal Academy.

They shared extreme beliefs and joined the Society for Constitutional Information.

6. William Blake saw 鈥榯hings鈥�

someone covered in white sheets. Photo by Carlos Nunez on

Blake said he experienced visions throughout his life. This, he said, started when he was young.

When he was four years old Blake screamed when he saw God 鈥減ut his head to the window鈥�. This incident made him smash his head on the wall.

Then when he was 10, he saw 鈥渁 tree filled with angels, bright angelic wings bespangling every bough like stars.鈥�

After the death of his brother Robert, with whom he was very close, Blake saw his 鈥渞eleased spirit ascend heavenward through the matter-of-fact ceiling, 鈥榗lapping its hands for joy,’鈥�.

In his youthful years, Blake said he saw visions of kings. Moreover, he painted representations of the great dead talking with living beings from the world of fantasy.

He was regarded as extremely odd and unworldly, even at a time when personal experience and great ideas were widely respected.

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7. Because he saw visions, he was called a madman

Blake was called a madman because he said he saw visions. Others believed he suffered from mental illness.

Despite his 鈥榠llness鈥�, William excelled as an English Romantic artist and poet. People close to him described him as 鈥榝ar from unstable鈥�.

Most of his equals highly regarded him for his quirky views. He was well respected for expressiveness and creativity as well as the philosophical and mystical undercurrents within his work.

Critics categorized his paintings and poetry as part of the Romantic Movement and as “Pre-Romantic”. Blake is believed to have been an early proponent of both 鈥楻omanticism and Nationalism鈥�.

8. Another great talent Blake was famous for was relief etching

William Blake invented relief etching and illuminated printing. He did this to be able to print texts and images together. This was in 1788 when Blake was 31.

Blake used illuminated printing for most of his popular works, including Songs of Innocence and Experience; The Book of Thel; The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; and Jerusalem.

Most of his poems, books, paintings, and pamphlets were also done using this technique.  

9. William Blake was happily married

A happy couple at sunset. Photo by Igor Rodrigues on

Blake was married to Catherine Sophia Boucher on August 18, 1782, in St Mary鈥檚 Church, Battersea. The two stayed together until his death.

He taught Catherine to read and write and subsequently, she helped color his printed poems.

There were claims that their marriage saw its share of stormy days. This happened when Blake attempted to bring concubines to their home. There was no proof that this ever happened.

Furthermore, there are no records of the couple having children. It is believed that Catherine had a stillbirth, a daughter.  

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10. Blake鈥檚 most famous poem is the Tyger

Although Blake鈥檚 profession was engraving and painting in watercolors back in the 18^th century, today he is more famous for his poems. He loved poetry since he was a teen.  

One of his most famous poems is The Tyger which was part of his poetry collection Songs of Experience. Another one is Milton: A Poem in Two Books.

In that poem is the lyric commonly called 鈥淛erusalem鈥� which has become a kind of alternative national anthem in Britain.

11. Recent exhibitions have focused on his work

The Ashmolean Museum’s exhibition William Blake: Apprentice and Master was open from December 2014 until March 2015.

The exhibit examined William Blake’s formation as an artist as well as his influence on young artist-printmakers who were influenced by him during his last years.

The National Gallery of Victoria’s exhibition of William Blake in the summer of 2014 showcased the Gallery’s collection of works by William Blake which includes spectacular watercolors, single prints, and illustrated books.

In 2019, Tate Britain in London had a major exhibition on Blake. 

12. Blake’s cultural influence is certain

, , via Wikimedia Commons

The generation after his death neglected his work and was almost forgotten by the time Alexander Gilchrist began writing his biography in the 1860s.

In the 20th century, William’s work was appreciated and his influence increased. Scholars involved in enhancing William’s standing in literary and artistic circles included Northrop Frye, G.E. Bentley Jr, S. Foster Damon, Geoffrey Keynes, and David V. Erdman.

In the 1950s, William had an enormous influence on the beat poets and was cited by seminal figures such as songwriters Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, and Van Morrison, English writer Aldous Huxley, and beat poet Allen Ginsberg.

13. William Blake’s legacy lives on

William is often cited as an inspiration in comic literature like in V for Vendetta, Watchmen, From Hell, and Angel Passage. His work is also featured in American films like Red Dragon, and Red Dragon, Manhunter. 

In 2002, the film The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys features William’s words prominently. The film features his work the Tyger.

The first six seasons of The Mentalist feature the antagonist Red John who runs the Blake Association and its members use the phrase Tyger Tyger to signal their membership.

14. The Blake Poetry Prize was started in his honor

The Blake Poetry Prize takes its name from William Blake. It was established in Australia in 1949. It is an open poetry prize that challenges artists to engage in conversations relating to religion and spirituality.

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15. Blake鈥檚 Songs of Innocence poems were sparked by his spiritual visions

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Blake cited that one of his famous poem collections, Songs of Innocence (1789) was inspired by his visions. He later published the updated version, Songs of Innocence and of Experience in 1794.

Moreover, the Songs of Innocence collection consists of about 19 poems. They reflect on childhood innocence and joy. These poems read like nursery rhymes emphasizing the infringement of adults on childhood innocence and joy.

Blake presents this sensitive theme to allow his audience to reflect on the fact that youthful innocence never lasts forever.

The writings are studied for their literary merit in the modern day. Yet, they were originally illuminated books, engraved, hand-printed, and colored by the author himself.

16. His method of color printing was a unique process

In 2000, Blake鈥檚 color printing technique rose to the limelight among scholars interested in his writing. Michael Phillips one of the historical scholars with a keen attention on Blake鈥檚 works sparked the discussion.

Following research and many debates, Phillips proposed that Blake used a 鈥渢wo-pull鈥� procedure to create color-printed impressions of his relief etchings. This involved passing through the rolling press twice rather than once.

The first time was meant to print the text in ink while the second aimed to color print designs on the same sheet of paper. This technique differed from the 鈥渙ne-pull鈥� method that created both text and color print at once.

17. William Blake was an advocate for liberty and justice

As an author during an era of huge social and political disruptions, he pushed for justice through creativity. His famed works such as Europe (1794) and America (1793) drew motivation from the violent destruction of revolutions.

One incident cited by Blake was the June 1780 riots in London. The anti-Catholic preaching of Lord George Gordon was the source of the upsets. Blake recounts imagery of houses, churches, and prisons burned by mobs. Experiencing the incident, firsthand, he was moved to write about it.

18. Blake was influenced by Emanuel Swedenborg鈥檚 works

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

William Blake had an interest in the writings of the Swedish Christian theologian, Swedenborg. More than theology, Emanuel was also a scientist, philosopher, and mystic.

Through Blake鈥檚 writing, he claimed to own several books by Swedenborg. He also gave reference to Swedenborg鈥檚 content in several of his books.

Some of Swedenborg鈥檚 books that Blake owned include Heaven and Hell (1758), Divine Love and Divine Wisdom (1763), and Divine Providence (1764). Blake mentions Earths in the Universe (1758) and The True Christian Religion (1771) by Swedenborg, suggesting he read them.

On top of that, in Blake鈥檚 published writings鈥攊n A Descriptive Catalogue (1809) and Milton (1804-10) he mentions Swedenborg. He further offered a satirized view of the Swedenborg鈥檚 ideology in his book, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790-93).

19. Blake viewed the Bible as a source of poetic and artistic inspiration

William Blake had a unique view of the Bible. More than being a religious text, he saw it as a source of his artistic motivation. He gave biblical stories his visionary interpretation blending them with his mythological and philosophical thoughts.

20. Blake illustrated Dante’s Divine Comedy

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Blake鈥檚 friend John Linnell, also an artist, commissioned him to make illustrations of Dante鈥檚 Divine Comedy (1321) poem. Given the task in 1824, contemporary sources cite that Blake designed over 100 watercolors within two weeks during an illness in bed.

Blake was guided by an original audio recording from the 1812 translation of Dante to complete his work. He created illustrations of Divine Comedy鈥檚 three main parts, that is Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Dante Alighieri the Italian poet, writer cum philosopher, lived from 1265 to 1321.

Although William Blake’s career as an engraver could never take him out of poverty, today Blake鈥檚 engravings are ranked among the greatest triumphs of line engravings in England.

His 22 engraved Illustrations for the Book of Job are said to be his greatest masterpieces in the medium of engraving. These were also rare commercial and critical successes for him.