Trying to Trace the Sound

What it is

This is an engraved plate by William Blake, dated 1791, printed on page P.114 of Mary Wollstonecraft's children's book Original Stories from Real Life. The caption reads: 'Trying to trace the sound, I discovered a little hut, rudely built.' The plate is marked as published by J. Johnson on 1 September 1791. It shows a man with a long plank or ladder-like object leaning toward a small hut, while a woman in a wide-brimmed hat and long coat stands to the right under a starry sky.

Why it matters

Wollstonecraft's stories were written for children, and this plate shows how the book's scenes were turned into images for its first readers. The printed caption links the picture to the story's text, so readers could follow the action as they read. It also shows the work of the publisher J. Johnson, whose name appears on the plate.

Look closer

• What clues in the picture tell you that the scene is set at night?
• Why might the artist have chosen to show the search rather than the discovery?
• Who is missing from this picture, and how does that change the story?