From a family of 21 children, Lear was raised by an older sister and began work at the age of 15 in drawing and illustrating, for which he had a special talent. He was employed by the Zoological Society of London in 1831. His first publication, Illustrations of the Family of the Psittacidae, appeared in 1832. His artistic career included a position at the British Museum and many years' work for the Earl of Derby. In 1846, Lear published his first Book of Nonsense, which was written for the Earl's grandchildren. Lear was an epileptic and lived mainly abroad after 1837 because of his health. He travelled extensively, visiting Italy, Greece, the Middle East, India and Ceylon. From his journeys, he produced seven illustrated travel books. Although Lear was a fantastically gifted artist, he is best remembered for his nonsense verse and limericks, the latter of which he did much to popularize. His nonsense works include Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany and Alphabets (1871), More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, etc (1872) and Laughable Lyrics (1877). |
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