Artists › Edward Lear

Edward Lear: sketches and drawings

A traveller with a watercolour box · 1812–1888

Edward Lear (1812–1888): a traveller with a watercolour box. SketchMap Atlas shows 11 sketches by Edward Lear on the world map, each placed where it was drawn.

English artist and writer, remembered for his nonsense poems. He was also a tireless traveller who sketched with pencil and watercolour in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and India, often filling the margins of drawings with colour notes to finish later in the studio.

Sketches by Edward Lear and where they were drawn

Monastir (Bitola) — Edward Lear, 19th century

The Pyramids at Giza, Early Morning — Edward Lear, 1854

A Distant View of Mount Athos — Edward Lear, 1856

Corfu from Ascension — Edward Lear, 1862

Plains of Bengal from above Siliguri — Edward Lear, 1874

The Marble Rocks, Jubbulpore — Edward Lear, 1882

Avisavella, Ceylon — Edward Lear, 1884–1885

See Edward Lear’s sketches on the map

Every sketch is pinned where it was drawn, so you can follow Edward Lear from place to place.

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Where did Edward Lear draw each work?

Monastir (Bitola) (19th century): drawn at Bitola, North Macedonia. Details
The Pyramids at Giza, Early Morning (1854): drawn at Pyramids of Giza, Egypt. Details
A Distant View of Mount Athos (1856): drawn at Mount Athos, Greece. Details
Corfu from Ascension (1862): drawn at Corfu, Greece. Details
Qasr Ibrim, Nubia (1867): drawn at Qasr Ibrim, Egypt (22.6439° N, 32.0200° E). Details
Korti, Sudan (1867): drawn at Korti, Sudan. Details
Bavella, Corsica (c. 1868): drawn at Bavella, Corsica, France. Details
Benares (1873): drawn at Varanasi, India (25.3109° N, 83.0107° E). Details
Plains of Bengal from above Siliguri (1874): drawn at Siliguri, Bengal, India. Details
The Marble Rocks, Jubbulpore (1882): drawn at Bhedaghat, Jabalpur, India (23.1296° N, 79.8002° E). Details
Avisavella, Ceylon (1884–1885): drawn at Avissawella, Sri Lanka. Details

About the works

Monastir (Bitola), 19th century. Mountains above the town and an arch on the plain: a travel watercolour by Lear from the Balkans. Source · Public domain
The Pyramids at Giza, Early Morning, 1854. A quiet morning at the pyramids: a palm, the Nile flood and haze over the plain. Source · Public domain
A Distant View of Mount Athos, 1856. The silhouette of the Holy Mountain above wooded hills: Lear visited Athos in 1856. Source · Public domain
Corfu from Ascension, 1862. Olive groves, sheep and a distant fortress on the shore: a Greek island in soft watercolour. Source · Public domain
Qasr Ibrim, Nubia, 1867. A fortress on a rock above the Nile: Lear noted the time of day and colours on the sheet. Source · Public domain
Korti, Sudan, 1867. A strip of shore, palms and an island on a long sheet: Lear on the Nile in Sudan. Source · Public domain
Bavella, Corsica, c. 1868. Pines and rocks of Corsica in browns: a drawing from the journey of 1868. Source · Public domain
Benares, 1873. Temples and the steps of the ghats above the Ganges: a watercolour from Lear’s journey to India. Source · Public domain
Plains of Bengal from above Siliguri, 1874. A river winds through the valley beneath the palms: a view from the Himalayan foothills. Source · Public domain
The Marble Rocks, Jubbulpore, 1882. White cliffs above the Narmada at Bhedaghat: a late watercolour by Lear from his Indian sketches. Source · Public domain
Avisavella, Ceylon, 1884–1885. Palms above a river and figures on the bank: a late drawing by Lear from Ceylon. Source · CC0

Quick answers

Who was Edward Lear?

English artist and writer, remembered for his nonsense poems.

Where did Edward Lear draw?

North Macedonia, Egypt, Greece, Sudan, France and India and more. Every sketch is shown on the map at the place where it was made.

What techniques did Edward Lear use?

The works on SketchMap Atlas are watercolour and drawing.

Can I use the sketches by Edward Lear?

The works shown here are marked “CC0, Public domain” and come from Wikimedia Commons. Check the source link of each work for the exact terms.

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