Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Shewing the Two Con… — William Blake | Free high-res download

Q: What is the largest sharp print size for Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul: Combined Title-page?

At 300 dpi, this 3,168 × 3,710 px file prints up to 10.6 × 12.4 in with gallery-sharp detail. At 150 dpi the file reaches 21.1 × 24.7 in, which is poster-sharp quality.

Q: Which standard frame sizes give gallery-sharp prints of Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul: Combined Title-page?

Gallery-sharp (300 dpi or above) frame sizes: 8 × 10 in. Sharp-to-poster-quality sizes also work: 11 × 14 in, 12 × 16 in, 16 × 20 in, 18 × 24 in.

Q: Does printing Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul: Combined Title-page require cropping the image?

Standard frame aspect ratios may not match this artwork exactly; depending on the size chosen, up to 22% of the image could be cropped. Most print-on-demand services let you adjust the crop position or add a white mat border instead.

Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul: Combined Title-page

William Blake · [1789–94] printed ca. 1825 · The Met, New York

Public domain · CC0 · $0.003,168 × 3,710 px · 11.8 MP

Prints gallery-sharp up to10.6 × 12.4 inat 300 dpi, uncropped · poster-sharp to 21.1 × 24.7 in at 150 dpi

The download is the Met's own open-access file, served by the Met. Big file — give it a minute.

Build the wall set

Art, frame, light and hanging gear, picked together. Choose a size and finish; the wall preview shows exactly what you're getting. One button sends the whole kit to your Amazon cart.

Amazon sells the physical items, sets their prices and availability, and may pay us a commission. The free museum file is separate. How we get paid →

How big can you print it?

Standard frame sizes, turned to match the artwork. "Crops" is how much of the picture you lose filling that frame edge to edge — or keep it all and let a mat take up the difference.

Frame	Effective dpi	Verdict	Crops
8 × 10 in	371	Gallery sharp	6%
11 × 14 in	265	Sharp up close	8%
12 × 16 in	231	Sharp up close	12%
16 × 20 in	185	Poster sharp	6%
18 × 24 in	154	Poster sharp	12%
24 × 36 in	103	Fine across a room	22%
30 × 40 in	92	Too soft	12%

Will it fit over your couch? Put this one on your wall, to scale — crop or mat, frame size, hang height and the order.

The ticket

Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul: Combined Title-page is a print by William Blake (British, London 1757–1827 London), dated [1789–94] printed ca. 1825. Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold. Size on the museum record: Plate: 4 7/16 × 2 13/16 in. (11.2 × 7.1 cm) Sheet: 6 3/16 x 5 9/16 in. (15.7 x 14.1 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds it in its Drawings and Prints collection — Rogers Fund, 1917.

In The Met's records, Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul: Combined Title-page is a relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold credited to William Blake. The museum dates it [1789–94] printed ca. 1825; it sits in the Drawings and Prints department as accession 17.10.1. Spend a minute with the composition before choosing a size: notice where the eye lands first and where it rests. The Met's scan measures 3,168 × 3,710 pixels, which prints about 10.6 × 12.4 in at 300 dpi and 21.1 × 24.7 in at a still-comfortable 150 dpi. Its tall proportions suit a hallway, a narrow wall or the gap beside a door, and the set builder shows how much each standard frame would crop. Its warm reds and oranges suit walnut or gold, which deepen the glow instead of washing it out. Line work lives on contrast. Print it on smooth bright paper and give it a wider frame or mat so the fine marks are not swallowed. Light it from above with a soft warm bulb, hang the centre of the picture near 57 inches, and it will read as intended instead of as decoration.

The Met released its scan under CC0, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 3,168 × 3,710 pixels — 11.8 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 10.6 × 12.4 in. That is bigger than the print itself, which measures about 2.8 × 4.4 in — the file holds more detail than you can see standing in front of the original.Line work lives or dies on contrast. Print it on a smooth, bright paper and give it a wide mat: small graphic work drowns in a thin frame and a big empty border makes it look like it came out of a print room drawer.

On the receipt

Artist: William Blake
Date: [1789–94] printed ca. 1825
Medium: Relief etching printed in orange-brown ink and hand-colored with watercolor and shell gold
Size: Plate: 4 7/16 × 2 13/16 in. (11.2 × 7.1 cm) Sheet: 6 3/16 x 5 9/16 in. (15.7 x 14.1 cm)
Museum: The Met · Drawings and Prints
Accession: 17.10.1
License: Public domain · CC0 1.0
Source: Museum record ↗