Mirror Writing and Designing in William Blake’s Illuminated Books

In 1789, Blake developed the relief etching technique which he described as “a method of Printing which combines the Painter and the Poet,” allowing him to simultaneously write and design on copper plates for his illuminated books. This process required Blake to write and design in reverse, leading him to develop his command of retrography. Consequently, what appears “forwards” on the printed page is the product of a “backwards” preparatory process. In this talk, Dr Camille Adnot analyses the workings of these reversed words on the printed page, examining the dynamics of reading text backwards, and the function that these words serve within the illuminated book. This investigation into mirror writing and its implications extends to Blake’s practice of mirror designing, which, though less obviously subversive and challenging for the reader, still operates a reversal of important proportions, providing some of the dynamics behind Blake’s fearful symmetries.