Edward Lear (1812 - 1888) was a British artist, humorist, and traveller. By the age of 15 he was making money from drawing and painting by teaching drawing and selling sketches, including anatomical studies to medical students. He also worked for a time as a draughtsman for the Zoological Society where he illustrated a book about parrots. In 1832, the Earl of Derby commissioned him to create a collection of drawings of rare birds in the menagerie at Knowsley Hall on Merseyside. The Earl's patronage allowed Edward Lear to travel widely in Italy and Greece, making collections of drawings and oil paintings which were published in several travel books. He entertained the Earl's children with nonsense limericks and other verse, which he illustrated with sketches and later published in A Book of Nonsense (1846) under the pseudonym 'Derry Down Derry'.
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