The Art of Noticing: Edward Lear’s Illustrations

The famed limerick writer was not only popular for his whimsical lines but also for his grasp of the world through his illustrations.

(Left) A photograph of Edward Lear in 1866. (Right) A self-caricature Lear published in 1870. Public Domain

Born May 12, 1812, Edward Lear was a British author, artist, illustrator, poet, and a great observer of nature. He worked as an illustrator for the Zoological Society and the 13th Earl of Derby, who had a vast collection of rare birds and animals. He also published a collection of his own travel journals, “The Illustrated Travels of a Landscape Painter,” and a work on parrots, “Illustrations of the Family Psittacidae, or Parrots.”

The Power of Noticing

Lear’s gift for noting and marveling at the world around him couldn’t be more apparent than in his illustrations of exotic birds, specifically parrots. In his illustration of a “Greater Sulpher-crested Cockatoo,” Lear illustrated a cockatoo in amazing detail.

Cropped image of "Plyctolophus galeritus: Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo" by Edward Lear. Public Domain

With succinct outlines and several minute strokes, he discriminated among the cockatoo’s wide variety of feathers, showing the direction of the feathers coming off the bird’s body, as well as the direction of the barbs coming off of the feathers’ shafts. The bumpy texture of the eye-ring is clearly depicted as is a small sliver of the cockatoo’s brown iris. He also achieved the sandpaper texture of the feet by drawing several circles of various sizes.

Lear captured not only the realistic details of the cockatoo, but he also captured its character. The bird’s head is cocked in a certain, curious or playful way, and the eye is filled with a lively gentleness that draws viewers into the picture. The cockatoo seems like it could suddenly shake itself and hop out of the page.

The Gift of Noticing

Yet Lear’s great gift of attention wasn’t confined to the natural, animal world, for he took note of people too. While working as an illustrator for the Earl of Derby, Lear engaged with the earl’s children, from whom he got the inspiration to compile a book of limericks. He loved making children laugh, so he wrote “A Book of Nonsense”—filled with his own illustrations—to do just that.

Though more elementary and less magnificent, Lear’s cartoon illustrations were meant to be fantastical, for, in that way, they elicited laughter from children.

(Left) The 1894 book cover of "A Book of Nonsense," by Edward Lear. (Right) The illustration for "There was an Old Man of the West, Who never could get any rest." Project Gutenberg. Public Domain

In one of these limerick illustrations, a man stands on his very pointy nose and chin, while two comical looking men hold his legs in the air. The limerick, which accompanies this cartoon, goes:

There was an Old Man of the West, Who never could get any rest; So they set him to spin on his nose and his chin, Which cured that Old Man of the West.

Such a limerick, along with the image of a man upside down in a complex grand jeté, would undoubtedly make children laugh. The very lack of detail in the illustration make it funnier. The sharp angles and round shapes, much like comedy, are abrupt and, thus, can draw laughter.

Lear’s illustrations reached people of all ages, bringing joy and inspiring laughter. Even now, his illustrations inspire viewers to cultivate paying attention.

Through his illustrations, Lear seemed to say, much like author Markus Zusak in “The Book Thief”:

“People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it’s quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations with each passing moment. … In my line of work, I make it a point to notice them.”

Lear’s works provide an example for viewers of all ages and times to look at the world with wondering, perceptive eyes. For, by observing the world, they can appreciate its true beauty and worth.

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