Edward Lear (1812–1888) is best known for his limericks and nonsense poems, ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ in particular. He was also an exceptional artist, and his paintings of flamingoes and a toucan are included in Silver Jungle’s Hummingbird book. Born in Highgate in London, the 20th of 21 children, he began painting birds at London Zoo and later worked for the Earl of Derby, recording the animals in his private menagerie at Knowsley Hall. The nonsense poems made Lear popular but masked a lifelong struggle with epilepsy and depression. This detail from a pencil drawing by Wilhelm Nicolai Marstrand was done when Lear was 28.
Photograph © National Portrait Gallery, London