Studies in the Period Illustration of Eighteenth‐Century British Literature, 1935–2025

Excepting satiric illustration and the work of William Blake, this article will sketch the state‐of‐the‐art pertaining to the study of the copper‐engraved period illustration of 18th‐century literature. It will outline the different phases of illustration studies within the British literary context of the past 90 years, concentrating particularly on the developments of the past 40 years. Focusing on the ways in which scholars have, in recent years, argued for the centrality and significance of illustrations in literary‐historical narratives of 18th‐century British literature, it will introduce the latest directions in the field. These include the role of illustrations in literary material culture and transnational book and text history, as well as extra‐illustration practices and the recycling of illustrations, which demonstrate the pervasive reach of literary illustration in the 18th century.