Sir Edwin Landseer

This book was published in conjunction with an exhibition of the art of Sir Edwin Landseer from October 25, 1981 to April 12, 1982 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and The Tate Gallery in London, England. It covers his work from 1812 until 1872. Sir Edwin Henry Landseer RA (1802 – 1873) was an English painter and sculptor, well-known for his paintings of animals – particularly horses, dogs, and stags. His best-known work is the lion sculptures at the base of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. Landseer was a notable figure in 19th-century British art, and his works can be found in Tate Britain, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Kenwood House and the Wallace Collection in London. Landseer was particularly associated with Scotland, which he had first visited in 1824 and the Highlands in particular, which provided the subjects (both human and animal) for many of his important paintings. So popular and influential were Landseer's paintings of dogs in the service of humanity that the name Landseer came to be the official name for the variety of Newfoundland dog that, rather than being black or mostly black, features a mixture of both black and white.