Edward Lear, the English painter and graphic artist, was born in London. In 1848, he came to Albania and visited Tirana, Kruja, Shkodra, Kavaja, Berat, Himara, Vlora, Tepelena, and Gjirokastra. He created several color lithographs of these places, measuring 17×10 cm, which he published in the book “Journals of a Landscape Painter in Albania,” London, 1851. In 1852, he also published the book “Journals of a Landscape Painter in Southern Calabria,” which includes lithographs of Arbëresh villages. Edward Lear’s lithographs of Albania are distinguished for their realism and artistic value. They mainly feature scenes from the country’s nature and characteristic buildings, such as castles. Some of them also serve as historical evidence of the views these places had in the 19th century. Edward Lear also created oil paintings. Two of the most famous ones are “Mount Tomorri” and “The Coast of Albania.” (In the photo: Edward Lear)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1528.
Photograph: © https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Lear
Graphic processing: AHCF
