Pl. 10 – Holy Thursday
1789
William Blake created this illuminated page for his 1789 collection Songs of Innocence, capturing a procession of London charity school children on their way to St. Paul's Cathedral. Rows of tiny figures in red, blue, and green march across the top, while below, the poem's text flows in elegant, hand-lettered script surrounded by swirling, vine-like decorations. At the bottom, more figures stand in a line, likely representing the 'aged men' mentioned in the verses. Blake actually hand-colored each print himself, making every single copy of this book a unique piece of art rather than just a mass-produced page.
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