Edward Lear as a Landscape Draughtsman

by Philip Hofer

Edward Lear, while probably best known as the author of The Owl and the Pussycat and the famous Nonsense Books, was by profession a draughtsman and painter. For over fifty years after 1836, from the age of twenty-four, he spent much of his life traveling or in residence abroad, producing thousands of sketches and drawings, some of which he later elaborated or used as studies for paintings. He is now belatedly becoming recognized as one of the best topographical draughtsmen of his day.

Philip Hofer has long been an admirer and collector of the works of Edward Lear. He here presents a selection of Lear's landscape drawings chosen from his own collection and from the more than four thousand in the Harvard collection, which is the most extensive in the world. Hofer, whose constant concern has been in large part responsible for the excellence of this collection, introduces the plates with a biographical sketch of Lear, an extensive treatment of his development as a landscape draughtsman, and an appraisal of his work. He then reviews the growing appreciation of Lear's drawings and the present status of Lear collections both here and abroad, and adds a brief selected bibliography.

188 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Philip Hofer (1898–1984) was a distinguished book collector, librarian, and curator who played a pivotal role in shaping the study and appreciation of printing and graphic arts. A Harvard University graduate of 1921, he initially pursued a career in business before returning to academia to earn a master’s degree in art history in 1929. His deep interest in books and graphic design led him to professional roles at the New York Public Library, where he worked as a bibliographer for the Spencer Collection (1930–1934), and at the Pierpont Morgan Library, where he collaborated with Belle Da Costa Greene (1934–1937).
In 1938, Hofer returned to Harvard as the founding curator of the Department of Printing and Graphic Arts at the Houghton Library, a position created specifically for him. Over the next three decades, he built an extraordinary collection that became one of the most significant repositories of rare books, illustrated works, and printing materials. His expertise in printmaking processes and historical techniques was influenced by notable figures such as curator and scholar William Ivins and wood engraver Rudolph Ruzicka. In addition to his curatorial work, he served as Secretary of the Fogg Art Museum from 1952 to 1964 and was the Lyell Lecturer in Bibliography at the University of Oxford in 1961–1962.
Hofer’s passion for book collecting began during his student years, and he focused on the art of the book, letterforms, and illustration. His collection included incunabula, illuminated manuscripts, and a wide range of printed works, with a particular emphasis on German, Iberian, and Italian illustrated books of the 18th century. His extensive holdings were ultimately bequeathed to Harvard’s Houghton Library, ensuring their preservation and continued study. In recognition of his legacy, the Philip Hofer Prize for Collecting Books or Art was established in 1988 to encourage students at Harvard to pursue collecting with the same scholarly dedication.