Illustration Wall Art

There are 222 artworks in the Illustration subject on Archive Lane, every one free to preview and available as a print.

Illustration is imagery made to accompany a text, whether a book, a magazine, an advertisement or a scientific treatise, rather than to stand alone. The practice runs from woodcuts in early printed books through steel and wood engraving in nineteenth century periodicals to the illustrated book boom of roughly 1880 to 1920, when new photomechanical printing let artists work in fine line and wash and see it reproduced faithfully. Gustave Dore, Walter Crane, Aubrey Beardsley, Kate Greenaway and Randolph Caldecott all worked in this vein. A pre 1930 public domain archive under this heading holds mostly book plates, fairy tale and periodical illustration, and decorative title pages rather than paintings.

What's in here

The most represented artists here are Anonymous (6,633), Unknown artist (1,361), William Henry Walker (1,195).

By movement: Art Deco (29,771), Expressionism (18,823), Impressionism (13,585).

By orientation: 36,949 landscape, 82,841 portrait, 3,522 square.

Illustration by movement

The largest movement groups within Illustration:

• Illustration Art Deco — 29,771 artworks
• Illustration Expressionism — 18,823 artworks
• Illustration Impressionism — 13,585 artworks
• Illustration Art Nouveau — 13,495 artworks
• Illustration Romanticism — 8,163 artworks
• Illustration Realism — 7,480 artworks

Illustration by culture

The largest culture groups within Illustration:

• Illustration French — 18,166 artworks
• Illustration American — 13,891 artworks
• Illustration English — 7,495 artworks
• Illustration German — 6,833 artworks
• Illustration Dutch — 4,039 artworks
• Illustration Japanese — 3,562 artworks

Illustration by museum

The largest museum groups within Illustration:

• Illustration Wellcome Collection — 3,395 artworks
• Illustration Rijksmuseum — 2,280 artworks
• Illustration National Gallery of Art — 1,409 artworks
• Illustration Wikimedia Commons — 731 artworks
• Illustration Cleveland Museum of Art — 657 artworks
• Illustration The Metropolitan Museum of Art — 444 artworks

Prints of these artworks

Prints of any artwork on this page are made to order at the production partner closest to you, starting from $21.99 including shipping, in Canvas, Rolled Canvas, Framed Canvas or Framed Print.

Sizes and framing

Sizes are listed in inches and centimetres, with up to 26 sizes available depending on the print type, from small desk pieces up to large statement pieces. A size that doesn't match this artwork's own proportions is centred and trimmed to fit, and each print type's page states exactly how much of the image that removes.

Framed Canvas and Framed Print orders are available in 8 frame colours (Black, White, Natural, Gold, Walnut, Silver, Dark Grey, Light Grey); Canvas and Rolled Canvas have no frame and no glass.

Frequently asked questions

How many artworks are in Illustration?

There are 222 public-domain artworks in the Illustration subject on Archive Lane.

Can I download these as digital files?

Yes, every artwork can be previewed for free and downloaded as the original high-resolution file with a one-off purchase or a membership.

Can these be printed and framed?

Yes, any artwork here can be ordered as a Canvas, Rolled Canvas, Framed Canvas or Framed Print, made to order and shipped locally.

Is this art really public domain?

Yes. Every artwork on Archive Lane is in the public domain, meaning the original copyright has expired, so it can be reproduced and sold as a print without a licence from the artist's estate.

Can I filter this list?

Yes, use the filters above the grid to narrow by artist, colour, orientation and, where available, movement or room.