My intention in this lecture is first to trace briefly the genesis of Afterlife Studies, then to outline the evolution of the concept of “afterlife” from the metaphysical to the textual and then the (icono)graphic and/or visual sphere, and finally to explain what I mean by “graphic/visual afterlife/ves”. I will eventually assess how the terms apply not only to book- but also to non-book-illustration. In approaching Illustration Studies from the perspective of Afterlife Studies, I would like to show that “illustration” is a much broader concept and reality than has often been claimed, and an essential one when it comes to the production, diffusion, consumption and perpetuation of literary texts, as well as to the formation of the canon.