George Cumberland's Card

Blake employed cross‑hatching, carving intersecting lines into a metal plate to produce a dense network of shadows and kinetic energy. The layered strokes generate a sense of swirling wind and motion, while the rough, sketch‑like quality of the lines reinforces the work’s unsettled atmosphere. The engraving’s stark monochrome palette heightens its dramatic effect.

The print was produced in the final year of Blake’s life, a period marked by a decline in his commercial success but a continued output of personal works. It was likely intended as a personal tribute or greeting to the artist George Cumberland, a fellow member of Blake’s literary circle. The piece has since entered public collections as an example of Blake’s late printmaking.