Edward Lear (1812 - 1888) London Pencil on Paper. Dated 1865 Measure 5 1/2"in H x 4 1/2"in W and 8 1/2"in H x 7 1/2"in W with frame Known for: Ornithology and travel book illustrations, landscape painting. Biography: Edward Lear was born in 1812 in Holloway, London. Lt. Col. Church was the grandson of Charles Marcus Church who was Edward Lear's companion during his earliest travels in Greece in 1848. The two men remained friends until Lear's death in 1888 in Sanremo Liguria, Italy. Upon his death, Lear bequeathed Charles Church more than 100 sketches made in Greece while they were together.