Lear, Edward, 1812–1888, Edward Lear letter to Ann Lear, 1858 May 26
- Call Number:
- MSS 59
- Holdings:
- Accessible by appointment in the Study Room [Request]
- Creator:
- Lear, Edward, 1812–1888
- Title(s):
- Edward Lear letter to Ann Lear
- Date:
- 1858 May 26
- Classification:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Series:
- Correspondence
- Part of Collection:
- Box 1, folder 2
- Provenance:
- Yale Center for British Art, Gift of Donald C. Gallup, Yale BA 1934, PhD 1939, Gallup's collecting of Edward Lear material is described in: Gallup, Donald C. "Collecting Edward Lear." The Yale University Library Gazette 61, no. 3/4 (1987): 125-42. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40858913. And in: Wilcox, Scott. Edward Lear and the art of travel. New Haven: Yale Center for British Art, 2000.
- Conditions Governing Access:
- The materials are open for research.
- Conditions Governing Use:
- Copyright UndeterminedThe collection is the physical property of the Yale Center for British Art. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the Archives Department.
- Scope and Content:
- Lear writes to his sister Ann, describing his travels through the Eastern Mediterranean. He opens his letter with an apology—for his letters “miserably shabby as they are”—and proceeds to describe his daily travel routine, slow due to his desire to sketch what he sees. He describes the topography of Lebanon, and mentions a Mr. and Mrs. Kilgour, traveling companions and “exceedingly good American people.” At times, “the cold was so great I could not hold my graphite well,” frustrating his desire to sketch the regions cedars, though “it is quite a pleasure to be in these mountains, away from [those] hateful Arabs: - here every one speaks to you & is friendly.” The letter soon breaks, picking up at another time (5PM). Lear writes about his continued travels, as well as those with him, including Giorgio, Lear’s longtime servant, who “is always most good & valuable.” Lear notes the impending start to the hajj, and expresses his eagerness to see it. Lear laments that he has “totally given up all idea of crossing the Jordan, for the Arabs have just bust out a fighting between themselves! - & I heartily hope they will all kill each other.” Lear does, however, speak positively about “the splendor of costume,” writing that “10 Syrians together would blind all the Maccaws in the Zoological Garden.” He soon ends the letter, only to begin again, writing that, “my dear, - if you want a Dog – now is your time: - this city is quite full of them: they lie in heaps of 10 or 20.” He finishes with his plans to sail directly to Corfu following the completion of his journey.
- Additional Notes:
- Written in graphite. Accompanied by a typescript transcription of the letter.
- Physical Description:
- 1 folded sheet (4 pages) : autograph letter, signed ; 29 x 41 cm, folded to 29 x 21 cm
- Genre:
- Letters (correspondence), Correspondence , Pen and ink drawings, and Lists
- Subject Terms:
- Description and travelMoore, Thomas, 1779-1852. By that lake, whose gloomy shore
- Associated Places:
- LebanonMediterranean Region
- Associated People/Groups:
- Cocali, Giorgio, 1817-1883Lear, Ann, 1791-1861Lear, Edward, 1812-1888
- Finding Aid Title:
- Edward Lear archive
- Collection PDF:
- https://ead-pdfs.library.yale.edu/11283.pdf
- Archival Object:
- https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/2896658
- Metadata Cloud URL:
- https://metadata-api.library.yale.edu/metadatacloud/api/aspace/repositories/3/archival_objects/2896658?mediaType=json&include-notes=1&include-all-subjects=1