Edward Lear (1812-1888) was an English artist, illustrator, and author, perhaps best known for his nonsense verse and limericks. He often incorporated nonsense writing and drawings into correspondence with close friends and produced a number of manuscript alphabets for children of his acquaintance. The present manuscript was created for the children of Vandeleur Benjamin Crake (1816-1894), a Sussex county magistrate. Four other manuscript alphabets are recorded in: Noakes, Vivien. Edward Lear, 1812-1888. London: Royal Academy of Arts, 1985.
Contents:
A were some ants -- B was a bat -- C was a camel -- D was a duck -- E was an elephant -- F was a fan -- G was a goat -- H was a hat -- I was an inkstand -- J was a jug -- K was a kite -- L was a lily -- M was a mouse -- N were some nuts -- O was an ostrich -- P was a polly -- Q was a quail -- R was a rabbit -- S was a swallow -- T was a tortoise -- U was an uppercoat -- V was a veil -- W was a whale -- X was King Xerxes -- Y was a yew tree -- Z was a zebra.
Exhibition History:
Cottage of Content, or, Toys, Games, and Amusements of Nineteenth Century England (Yale Center for British Art, November 2, 1977-December 31, 1977)Pleasures and Pastimes (Yale Center for British Art, 1990-02-21 - 1990-04-29)