Edward Lear landscape drawings
Overview
Original drawings of landscapes by English artist Edward Lear.
Dates
- Creation: 1834-1884
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Access is restricted. Consult Curator of Printing and Graphic Arts.
Extent
258 linear feetThe Printing and Graphic Arts Department of the Houghton Library possesses a collection of more than 3,500 drawings, by far the largest in the world, that demonstrate just how successful Lear was in this field. The sheer number of drawings in the Houghton collection makes it possible to trace the evolution of his style from the mid-1830s through the 1880s and provides a detailed record of his extensive voyages. The majority of drawings were made during one of his last trips in 1873-1874 and represent scenes from India and Ceylon.
A significant portion of the drawings are relatively small, with several mounted on a single cardboard sheet. Many drawings include Lear's manuscript notes. These record the place and date, and sometimes hour, of execution, as well as information about colors and textures to be added later. Lear's technique is discussed in HOFER.
Biographical / Historical
Edward Lear (1812-1888) is remembered primarily for his nonsense rhymes and limericks, but in his own lifetime he sought recognition as a landscape painter.
Arrangement
Arranged in chronological order of the artist's travels:
- ENGLAND before 1837
- THE MOSELLE 1837
- ITALY 1838-1844
- AMALFI 1844
- MISCELLANEOUS 1844
- ALBAN HILLS 1845
- VOLSCIAN MOUNTAINS 1845
- SICILY 1847
- CALABRIA 1847
- CAMPAGNA 1847
- GREEK ISLANDS 1848
- GREECE 1 1848
- TURKEY 1848
- ALBANIA 1848
- EGYPT 1 1849
- GREECE 2 1849
- GREECE 3 1849
- ENGLAND 2 1851
- EGYPT 2 1853-1854
- CORFU 1 1856
- ISRAEL AND JORDAN 1858
- ITALIAN RIVIERA 1860
- TUSCANY 1861
- CORFU 2 1862
- FRENCH RIVIERA 1 1864-1865
- MALTA 1865
- YUGOSLAVIA 1866
- EGYPT 3 1867
- RAVENNA 1867
- FRENCH RIVIERA 2 1868
- CORSICA 1 1868
- CORSICA 2 1868
- CORSICA 3 1868
- CORSICA 4 1868
- MISCELLANEOUS 2
- LUCKNOW 1873-1874
- BARRACKPORE 1873-1874
- HIMALAYAS 1873-1874
- GWALIOR 1873-1874
- DELHI 1873-1874
- HARDWAR 1873-1874
- SIMLA 1873-1874
- MAHABALESHWAR 1873-1874
- POONA 1873-1874
- HYDERABAD 1873-1874
- MAHABALIPURAM 1873-1874
- TIRUCHIRAPPALLI (TRICHONOPOLY) 1873-1874
- COONOOR 1873-1874
- CALICUT 1 1873-1874
- CEYLON 1873-1874
- CALICUT 2 1873-1874
- BOMBAY SCRAPS
- LUCKNOW SCRAPS
- BARRACKPORE SCRAPS
- HIMALAYA SCRAPS
- TAJ MAHAL SCRAPS
- GWALIOR SCRAPS
- DEHLI SCRAPS
- DEHRA DUN SCRAPS
- HARDWAR SCRAPS
- SIMLA SCRAPS
- TEOG SCRAPS
- MAHABALESHWAR SCRAPS
- POONA SCRAPS
- HYDERABAD SCRAPS
- TRAIN SCRAPS
- MAHABALIPURAM SCRAPS
- TIRUCHAPPALLI SCRAPS
- COONOOR SCRAPS
- CALICUT 1 SCRAPS
- CEYLON SCRAPS
- CALICUT 2 SCRAPS
- ITALIAN ALPS 1878-1883
When requesting drawings, please cite the information given under Call number/location.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
MS Typ 55.11 and MS Typ 55.26. Gift of William B. Osgood Field, 1942.
TypDr 805. L513. Bequest of Frances L. Hofer, 1978.
Specific provenance information for most items is recorded with each item below.
Abbreviations Used For Bibliographic References:
- ELOMS: Field, William B. Osgood. Edward Lear on my shelves. [New York]: Priv. print., 1933 (Munich : Bremer Presse.)
- GOODEN AND FOX: Gooden and Fox, Ltd. Edward Lear, 1812-1888, a loan exhibition of oil paintings, watercolours and drawings, books and prints, nonsense works: 15th October to 1st November, 1968. London: Gooden and Fox, Ltd., 1968.
- WAM: Garvey, Eleanor M. Edward Lear, painter, poet, and draughtsman; an exhibition of drawings, watercolors, oils, nonsense and travel books, Worcester Art Museum [April 18-June 2], 1968. Worcester, Mass.: [Worcester Art Museum], 1968.
- HOFER: Hofer, Philip. Edward Lear as a landscape draughtsman. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1967.
- VIEWS IN ROME AND ITS ENVIRONS: Lear, Edward. Views in Rome and its environs, drawn from nature and on stone by Edward Lear. [London: Published by T.M'Lean, 26, Haymarket, 1841.]
- LEAR'S ILLUSTRATED EXCURSIONS IN ITALY: Lear, Edward. Illustrated excursions in Italy. London, T. M'Lean, 1846.
- VIEWS IN THE SEVEN IONIAN ISLANDS: Lear, Edward. Views in the seven Ionian islands, drawn from nature & on stone by Edward Lear. London: E. Lear, 1863.
- JOURNAL OF A LANDSCAPE PAINTER IN CORSICA: Lear, Edward. Journal of a landscape painter in Corsica. London, R.J. Bush, 1870.
- JOURNAL OF A LANDSCAPE PAINTER IN ALBANIA: Lear, Edward. Journals [sic] of a landscape painter in Albania, &c. London, R. Bentley, 1851.
- TENNYSON ILLUSTRATIONS: Lear, Edward. Illustrations to the poems of Tennyson. 1885. Houghton: f MS Typ 55.7
- MURPHY: Lear, Edward. Indian journal. Watercolours and extracts from the diary of Edward Lear (1873-1875). Edited by Ray Murphy. London, New York, Jarrolds [1953].
- NOAKES: Noakes, Vivien. Edward Lear, 1812-1888; with an introduction by Sir Steven Runciman and an essay by Jeremy Maas. London: Royal Academy of Arts, published in association with Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1985.
Processing Information
Processed by Nancy Finlay.
- Title
- Lear, Edward, 1812-1888. Edward Lear landscape drawings, 1834-1884: Guide.
- Author
- Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hou01475
Repository Details
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
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