Poetry and Pictures, circa 1830

摘要

The nonsense poetry and lighthearted sketches of Edward Lear (1812-1888) have charmed children and escapists for nearly 200 years. But this playful poet is much less well-known for his influential work as a scientific illustrator, in the league of John J. Audubon and John Gould. While Lear's loony limericks provided a welcome respite from Victorian-era earnestness, his hundreds of scientific illustrations were firmly rooted in reality, crafted from living subjects with meticulous methods and in painstaking detail. "I am never pleased with a drawing unless I make it from life," Lear wrote in 1831.