This film takes a creative look at Catherine boucher, wife of William Blake. Born in 1762, the 20 year old illiterate daughter of a market gardener and resident of battersea village, south London, married blake, britain’s greatest poet and visionary, out of pity.
once described as the madder of the two, blake’s wife met the artist at the age of 19 and they were married in 1782, spending most of the rest of their lives side by side until his death in 1827, despite this fact she once commented that she often felt the absence of her visionary spouse, since he seemed to be “in paradise” rather than with her.
…for the love of art, and you, spirals, and gargoyles
in the flat lived in, and we got in heat
sucking my milkyway – it was my offer
nevertheless, an entwining of “it meant to be”.
o my knees for love, like i poet i think
of parallel realities, until the vinyl scratches.
nothingness, double hammer, splits
dogs, sleaford
mods, amyl&
the sniffers, skepta
p money, tverb
i like it. these times
for punk, grime, drum
& bass arrest. hip hop
we’re sad
at war…
Poem, extract from ‘Postcard from Kensington Gardens’, 2023 © Vanessa Vie
Daughters of Albion, Artist film studio idea / work ongoing
Daughters of Albion In their own right
Daughters of Albion (Vanessa) excerpt, video, 1m 30s 2025
STUDIO/thoughts
daughters of albion is a short film connecting 3 contemporary artists’ lives; poet and painter, illustrator and bookseller, activist and writer. drawing inspiration from a multitude of ideas and considerations on the role and character of catherine blake; wife, technician, supporter, accountant, homemaker and painter herself, whilst in partnership to visionary artist william blake.
a collaboration with 4 women in the exploration of Catherine blake, through their unique positions as artists + and ‘within their own right’ today.
“To Acknowledge who those women are, their contribution, that they made entirely in their own right. We use this phrase in their own right, we don’t use it of men, we wouldn’t talk about William Blake who was a great artist in his own right, but Catherine was an artist, we know she was an artist.” tasmin rosewell, blake society trustee, 2023