Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, and is known now mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose, most indelibly The Owl and The Pussycat. Lear was much admired as a nature artist. This collection includes ink and watercolour illustrations of birds that the artist drew for a boy staying at his hotel in Northern Italy in about 1880, which are from the V&A's drawings collection.