Edward Lear Autobiography 1812 to 1888

The below is reprinted from A book of nonsense by Edward Lear.

“Born in 1812 (12th May), I began to draw, for bread and cheese, about 1827, but only did uncommon queer shop-sketches — selling them for prices varying from ninepence to four shillings: colouring prints, screens, fans; awhile making morbid disease drawings for hospitals and certain doctors of physic.

In 1831, through Mrs. Wentworth, I became employed at the Zoological Society, and, in 1832, published “The Family of the Psittacidse,” the first complete volume of coloured drawings of birds on so large a scale published in England, as far as I know — unless Audubon’s were previously engraved. J. Gould’s “Indian Pheasants” were commenced at the same time, and after a little while he employed me to draw many of his birds of Europe, while I assisted Mrs. Gould in all her drawings of foregrounds, as may be seen in a moment by any one who will glance at my drawings in G.’s European birds and the Toucans.

From 1832 to 1836, when my health failed a good deal, I drew much at the Earl of Derby’s; and a series of my drawings was published by Dr. Gray of the British Museum — a book now rare. I also lithographed many various detached subjects, and a large series of Testudinata for Mr. (now Professor) Bell ; and I made drawings for Bell’s “British Mammalia,” and for two or more volumes of the ” Naturalist’s Library ” for the editor. Sir W. Jardine, those volumes being the Parrots, and, I think, the Monkeys, and some Cats.

In 1835 or ’36, being in Ireland and the Lakes, I leaned more and more to landscape, and when in 1837 it was found that my health was more affected by the climate month by month, I went abroad, wintering in Rome till 1841, when I came to England and published a volume of lithographs called “Rome and its Environs.” Returning to Rome, I visited Sicily and much of the South of Italy, and continued to make chalk drawings, though in 1840 I had painted my two first oil-paintings. I also gave lessons in drawing at Rome, and was able to make a very comfortable living.

In 1845 I came again to England, and in 1 846 gave Queen Victoria some lessons, through Her Majesty’s having seen a work I published in that year on the Abruzzi, and another on the Roman States. In 1847 I went through all Southern Calabria, and again went round Sicily, and in 1848 left Rome entirely. I travelled then to Malta, Greece, Constantinople, and the Ionian Islands ; and to Mount Sinai and Greece a second time in 1849, returning to England in that year. All 1850 I gave up to improving myself in figure-drawing, and I continued to paint oil-paintings till 1853, having published in the
meantime, in 1849 and 1852, two volumes entitled “Journals of a Landscape Painter,” in Albania and Calabria. The first edition of the “Book of Nonsense ” was published in 1846, lithographed by tracing-paper.

In 1854 I went to Egypt and Switzerland, and in 1855 to Corfu, where I remained the winters of 1856-57-58, visiting Athos, and, later, Jerusalem and Syria. In the autumn of 1858 I returned to England, and ’59 and ’60 winters’ were passed in Rome. 1861, I remained all the winter in England, and painted the Cedars of Lebanon and Masada, going, after my sister’s death in March 1861, to Italy. The two following winters — ’62 and ’63 — were passed at Corfu, and in the end of the latter year I published “Views in the Ionian Islands.” In 1862 a second edition of the “Book of Nonsense,” much enlarged, was published, and is now in its sixteenth thousand.

O bother!
Yours affectionately,
EDWARD LEAR”

How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!
Who has written such volumes of stuff
Some think him ill-tempered and queer,
But a few think him pleasant enough.

His mind is concrete and fastidious.
His nose is remarkably big ;
His visage is more or less hideous.

His beard it resembles a wig.
He has ears, and two eyes, and ten fingers,
Leastways if you reckon two thumbs;

Long ago he was one of the singers.
But now he is one of the dumbs.
He sits in a beautiful parlour.
With hundreds of books on the wall;

He drinks a great deal of Marsala,
But never gets tipsy at all.

He has many friends, laymen and clerical.
Old Foss is the name of his cat:
His body is perfectly spherical.
He weareth a runcible hat.

When he walks in a waterproof white.
The children run after him so!
Calling out, “He’s come out in his night-
gown, that crazy old Englishman, oh!”

He weeps by the side of the ocean.
He weeps on the top of the hill;
He purchases pancakes and lotion.
And chocolate shrimps from the mill.

He reads but he cannot speak Spanish,
He cannot abide ginger-beer:
Ere the days of his pilgrimage vanish.
How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!