Only four collections of Lear’s landscape drawings exceed a hundred drawings. The Houghton Library at Harvard (some 3,600 drawings of all types) and the Yale Center for British Art (about 490 drawings) have by far the largest collections. But next, and with the largest collection in Britain, comes the Liverpool Libraries with just over 300 drawings, predominantly from Lear’s years in Italy.
300 of the Liverpool drawings are all of scenes in Italy and are bound in seven very large volumes which combine the drawings themselves with lithographs of the same scenes by Lear and other material. They were in the possession of the Lord Northbrook, one of Lear’s friends who had employed Richard Williams to design and mount the volumes in 1888, the year Lear died. When Northbrook had come to stay with Lear in San Remo in April 1886 Lear gave him several hundred drawings and sketches and these were the ones Northbrook had had mounted as a tribute to his affection for Lear (Mr Lear – A Life of Art and Nonsense by Jenny Uglow, pages 513/14).
The Liverpool Libraries purchased the seven volumes from a London dealer in 1943. We do not currently know whether there were other owners before this transaction. The Houghton and Yale holdings can be viewed on their websites. The Liverpool collection has not yet been digitised, so it is hoped it will be helpful to have the following listing of the drawings by volume, place and date. Any errors in the listing are my own.
Stephen Duckworth
[You can download a PDF version of this document.]
Lear’s Topographical Works in Liverpool Library
With original sketches by Edward Lear
Arranged by his friend, Thomas George Earl of Northbrook and mounted by Richard Williams.
London.
129 Wardour Street, W.
MDCCCLXXXVIII
(purchased from Francis Edwards Ltd., 83 Marylebone High St, W.1, 18/6/1943, £150.)
Drawings –
Vol I 30
Vol II 48
Vol III 39
Vol IV 45
Vol V 53
Vol VI 54
Vol VII 31
Total 300
Vol I
Illustrated Excursions in Italy
Vol I Part I
11 August – 5 October, 1843, plus 1844
30 drawings
Aquila, S Maria di Collemaggio, 11 October 1844 (26)
Subiaco, 1844
Color of Passerano and Gennaro
Tagliacoozo, 21 August 1843 (three)
Tagliacozzo, 18 August
Tagliacozzo, 19 August
Avezzano, 26 August (two)
Lago di Fucino, 27 August (two)
Luco, 28 August
Trasacco, 4 September (two, one untitled)
Celano, 3 September
Ovindole, 1 September
Celano, 2 September
Celano, 1 September
Goriano, 19 September
Salmona, 15/16 September
Sulmona, 16 September
Sulmona (S Spirito), 20 September
Citta di Penna, 28 September
Pass of Antrodoco, 15 August, 1843
Aquila, 5 October, 1843
Antrodoco, 14 August (two)
Antrodoco, 15 August
Civita Ducale, 11 August
Vol II
Illustrated Excursions in Italy
Vol I Part II
11 August – 14 September 1843, plus 1847
48 drawings
Via Appia, 20 March 1847
Civita Ducale, 12 August 1843
C Ducale, 11 August
Civita Ducale, 12 August (two)
Antrodoco, 14 August (two)
Pass of Antrodoco, 15 August (two)
Tagliacozzo (two, untitled)
Tagliacozzo, 21 August
Magliano, 24 August
Alba, 23 August
Alba, 24 August
Scurgola, 25 August (two)
Lago di Fucino, 27 August
Near Luco, 28 August
Civita d’Antino, 28 August
Civita d’Antino, 29 August (two)
Capistrello, 30 August
Near Celano, 30 August
Celano 3 September (two)
Bocca di Castellucio, 2 September (two)
Ortucchio, 5 September
Pescina, 6 September (four)
Lago di Scanno, 9 September
Dress of Peasants, Scanno
Scanno figures
Scanno, 8 September
Costumes, Scanno, 9 and 10 September (two)
Scanno, 9 September
Costumes, Scanno, 10 September
Scanno, 9 September
Stretti di San Luigi, 11 September
Villa Lago, 11 September
Villa Lago, S Domenico, 12 September
Anversa, 13 September
Anversa, 14 September (two)
Vol III
Illustrated Excursions in Italy
Vol I Part III
22 September – 11 October 1843 and 29 September – 3 October 1844
39 drawings
Castel di Sangron, 22 September 1843
Sulmona, 20 September
San Veranzio Raiano, 19 September
Petterano, 21 September
Piano di S. Miglia, 21 September
Popoli, 18 September
Spirito and Salmona, 20 or 21 September
Gambarale, 23 September
Pizzo Ferrato, 23 September
Monte Nero D’Uomo, 24 September
Lanciano, 25 September
Costumes, Abadessa, 29 September (two)
Untitled (Abadessa), 27 September (two)
LaBadessa, 27 September
Citta di Penna, 28 September
Sasso, 1 October
Aquila, 4 October
Aquila, 5 October
Mopolino, 7 October
Montereale, 8 October
From above Montereale, 8 October
Pietra Secca, 11 October
Untitled (Tivoli), (four)
In the Kingdom of Naples 1844
Lago di Paterno, 29 September, 1844
Via Salara, Sigillo, 30 September (two)
Via Salara, near Sigillo, 30 September (?161)
Via Salara, San Vittorino, 29 September
Via Salara, near Antrodoro, 30 September
Untitled (Via Salara), (two, one 30 September)
Untitled (San Vittorino)
San Vittorino, 1 October
Leonessa, 3 October
Vol IV
Illustrated Excursions in Italy (States of the Church)
Vol II
31 March – 9 April 1845, and 1842, 1843 and earlier 1845
45 drawings
Velletri, 31 March (3)
Civita Lavinia, 31 March (1)
San Felice, 3 April (23)
San Felice, 2 April (22) (21)
Tor di Badino, 3 April (29)
Monte Circaeo, 2 April (24)
Monte Circaeo, 3 April
Monte Circaeo, 3 April (26)
Lago di Paola , 3 April (28)
Fossa Nuova, 5 April (39)
Fossa Nuova, (38)
Fossa Nuova 6 April (34)
Costumes, Fossa Nuova, 5 April (three)
Fossa Nuova, 6 April (40)
Sonnino, 6 April (41)
Piperno, 6 April
Piperno, 7 April (43)
Sezza, 7 April (44)
Sermoneta, 8 April
Sermoneta, 7 April (45)
Ninfa, 8 April
Ninfa, 8 April (54) (56) (57)
Norba, 8 April (two)
Norba, 8 April (49)
Norba, 9 April
Norba, 9 April (60)
Norba, 8 April (48) (59)
Norba, 9 April (61)
Galera, 9 April
Galera, 17 March 1842
Madonna del Sorbo, 3 June 1843
Ardea, 10 March 1845 (49) (45)
Ardea, 9 March 1845 (44)
Ardea, 10 March 1845 (46) (47)
Pratica, 10 March 1845 (52) (53)
Vol V
Journals of a Landscape Painter in Southern Calabria
Part I
28 July – 13 August 1847
53 drawings plus lithos
Bova August 1 184
Reggio 28 July
Motta San Giovanni, 29 July, 30 July, July (three)
Bagaladi 31 July
Near Condufori, 30 July, 31 July (three)
Condufori, 31 July (Taverna)
Bova, 31 July (25)
Amendolia, 31 July
Bova, 31 July (?24 cut)
Bova, 1 August (27)
Bova, 3 August (36)
Bova, 2 August
Bova, 3 August
Bova
Palizzi, 3 August (42) (41) (40) litho
Staiti, 4 August (43)
Palizzi, 3 August (39)
Near Palizzi, 3 August (37)
Near Pietra Pennata, 5 August (46)
Near Pietra Pennata, 5 August
Bruzzano, 6 August
St Agato di Bianco, 6 August
Near St Agata, 7 August (55)
San Luca, 7 August (58)
On the road between St Agata and San Luca, 7 August (56)
Near San Luca, 7 August (57)
Near Polsi, 9 August (64)
Bovalino, 9 August
Gerace from Locris, 10 August (70)
Locris, 10 August
Locris, 10 August (69)
Gerace, 10 August (73)
Gerace, 11 August, (?76 cut)
Gerace, 12 August (81)
Gerace, 10 August
Gerace, 13 August (87) (86)
Gerace, 12 August (89) (?79 cut)
Gerace, 13 August (88)
Gerace, 12 August
Gerace 12 & 13 August (90)
Gerace, 12 August (80) (82)
Vol VI
Journals of a Landscape Painter in Southern Calabria
Part II
12 August – 2 September 1847
54 drawings plus one lithograph
Gerace, 12August (78) (77)
Roccolla, 13 August (?91 rubbed out)
Rocella, 14 August (95) (96) (93) (94)
Below Motta Platonica, 14 August
Stilo (104)
Stilo, 15 August
Near Stilo, 16 August (106)
Stilo, 17 August (108) (110)
Stilo, 16/17 August (107)
Stilo, 17 August (112)
Motta Placanica, 18 August (113) (114) (115)
Castel Vetere, 18 August (116) (119) (117) (118)
Giojosa, 19 August (121) (120)
Canalo, 19 August (122) (123) (124)
Canalo, 20 August (125) (126) (130)
Canalo, 21 August (136) (131) (132) (135) (139)
Canalo
Near Gerace, 21 August, (140)
Gerace, 21 August
Gerace, 23 August (142)
Casalnovo, 23 August
Mills at Casalnuovo, 23 August (145)
Between Gerace and Casalnovo, 23 August (143)
San Giorgio, 24 August, (147)
Near Palmi, 26 August (150)
Palmi, 26 August (148) (149)
Bagnara, 26 August (15..)
Scilla, 27 August
Scilla, 28 August (156)
Scylla, 28 August
Scylla, 27/28 August (155)
Calanna, 30 August
Pentedatelo, 2 September (two)
Pentedatelo, litho 1885
Vol VII Part III
Kingdom of Naples
Sept 11 -29, 1847, plus drawings from 1838 and 1844
31 drawings
Mola di Gaeta (79)
Avellino, Sept 11-12, 1847 (1)
Avellino, 14 Sept (4)
Melfi, 21 Sept (31)
Melfi, 18/19 Sept (20)
Melfi, 18 Sept (18)
Melfi, 20 Sept (27)
Melfi 21 Sept (29)
Melfi, 20 Sept (28)
Castel del Monte, 23 Sept, (38)
Minervino, 24 Sept (40)
Venosa, 25 Sept
Venosa, 25/26 Sept (44)
Venosa, 25/26 Sept (45)
San Michele (50)
San Michele di Monte Voltore, 29 Sept (55)
Vesuvius
Vesuvius, 31 May 1844
Cava, 11 June 1838
La Cava, 5 June 1844
Corpo di Cava, 13 June 1838
La Cava, 12 June 1838
Near Minore, 7 June 1844
Atrani, 7 June 1844
Near Majori, 11 June 1844 (45)
Majori, 11 June 1844 (47)
Amalfi, 15 June 1844 (80)
Amalfi, June 1844 (2) (4)
Amalfi, 8 June 1844 (two)
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