Foss Couchant by Lear

Foss (c. 1873 – 26 November 1887), formally named Aderphos, was the pet cat of Edward Lear, the 19th-century author, artist, illustrator and poet. A "stumpy-tailed," "portly," and "unattractive" tabby cat, he was a favourite of Lear's and played an important role as a companion in the poet's lonely later years. Foss is mentioned frequently in Lear's correspondence and appears in his illustrations and at least one poem. Foss is said to have been the inspiration for the pussycat in Lear's illustrations for his poem "The Owl and the Pussycat". The funeral that Lear provided for Foss, which included an epigraphed headstone, is said to have been more elaborate than Lear's own.

Description

Foss and Lear depicted in an 1879 letter to Archdeacon William Bevan

Foss is said to have been adopted by Edward Lear whilst a kitten in 1873, though Lear later claimed he was older.[1] His full name was the Greek word Aderphos (a variant of Adelphos, "brother"), but he was generally known by the shortened form of "Foss" or, particularly by Lear, "Old Foss".[2][3] Foss was a tabby cat described as "unattractive."[1][4] His tail was cut short by Lear's servants to try to prevent him from wandering.[4] No photographs survive of the cat, as he jumped out of Lear's arms on the only occasion when one was to be taken.[3]

Lear grew fond of Foss and he was said to be his favourite animal.[2] Foss was mentioned often in Lear's correspondence, to the extent that he was said to have been almost as famous as Lear at the time.[2][5] He was said to roll on Lear's manuscripts to help dry the ink.[6] Many accounts say that when Lear was planning his relocation to Sanremo, he had his architect design his new villa on the same floor plan as his previous home to avoid confusing Foss.[4][7] Despite this, on his first day in the villa Foss climbed into one of its chimneys.[8]

Artistic influence

Lear's pussycat

Foss is said to have been the model for the pussycat in Lear's "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat" illustrations, though he chose to depict a full-length tail.[9][10] Foss is also mentioned in Lear's poem "How Pleasant to Know Mr Lear":

He has many friends, lay men and clerical,
  Old Foss is the name of his cat;
His body is perfectly spherical,
  He weareth a runcible hat.

— Stanza 5 (lines 21-24)[11]

There are also many drawings by Lear of Foss, including the two together and a series depicting Foss in supposed heraldic poses – these include couchant, passant, rampant, regardant, and the more fanciful "dansant" (dancing) and "a untin" (hunting).[1] The New York Times said that Lear's illustrations of Foss were his best caricatures.[12]

Death

Edward Lear Aged 73 and a Half and His Cat Foss, Aged 16 (1885). Lear has used the Latin abbreviation æt. in his caption.

Foss was a key companion in Lear's later years, at a time when Lear was battling depression and loneliness.[7][13][14][15] Foss died at Lear's Villa Tennyson in Sanremo in November 1887, just two months before Lear's own death.[1][14][16] Foss has been reported as being 14, 16 or 17 years old at the time of his death, though Lear was convinced that he was much older and had the age of 31 years engraved on Foss' headstone.[10][17] Some of Lear's pre-1872 drawings depict a cat very similar to Foss with a stumpy tail, tabby markings, and a portly appearance, and it is possible that Lear, knowingly or otherwise, conflated his imagined cat with the real Foss.[17]

Foss was buried under his own headstone – with an epitaph composed by Lear – beneath a fig tree in the garden at Villa Tennyson.[5][18][19] Foss' funeral is said to have had greater pomp and ceremony than Lear's own, which was poorly attended.[15] Foss is mentioned in the song "Mr Lear" by British folk singer Al Stewart on his 2005 album A Beach Full of Shells.[20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Stein, Sadie (29 October 2012). "Edward Lear's Cat". The Paris Review. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Lear, Edward (2001). Edward Lear. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 5. ISBN 9780806930770. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  3. 1 2 Levi, Peter (2013). Edward Lear: A Life. Tauris Parke Paperbacks. p. 263. ISBN 9781780765693. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Bell, Bethan (3 February 2018). "Whiskers in the workplace: More cats with careers". BBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  5. 1 2 Lear, Edward (2012). The Complete Nonsense of Edward Lear. Courier Corporation. p. 282. ISBN 9780486119465. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  6. ↑ O'Mara, Lesley (2011). Cats' Miscellany. Michael O'Mara Books. p. 67. ISBN 9781843177593. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  7. 1 2 Kalda, Sam (2017). Of Cats and Men: Profiles of History's Great Cat-Loving Artists, Writers, Thinkers, and Statesmen. Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale. p. 23. ISBN 9780399578458. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  8. ↑ Levi, Peter (2013). Edward Lear: A Life. Tauris Parke Paperbacks. p. 314. ISBN 9781780765693. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  9. ↑ Choron, Sandra; Choron, Harry; Moore, Arden (2007). Planet Cat: A Cat-Alog. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 47. ISBN 978-0618812592. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  10. 1 2 Hampshire, Kristen; Bass, Iris; Paximadis, Lori (2011). Cat Lover's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Insight and Guidance for Living a Joyful Life with Your Cat. Quarry Books. p. 27. ISBN 9781592537495. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  11. ↑ Lear, Edward (1912). Strachey, Constance Braham (ed.). The Complete Nonsense Book. New York: Duffield & Company. pp. 420-421. OCLC 1042550888.
  12. ↑ Parker, Peter (21 May 1995). "A Life of Nonsense". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  13. ↑ "Edward Lear". The British Library. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  14. 1 2 Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Cat Lover's Companion. Simon and Schuster. 2012. p. 102. ISBN 9781607106562. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  15. 1 2 "Edward Lear's Grave". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  16. ↑ Lavan, Rosie (10 November 2012). "The Restless Eye: Edward Lear at the Ashmolean". The Oxonian Review. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  17. 1 2 Stall, Sam (2007). 100 Cats Who Changed Civilization: History's Most Influential Felines. Quirk Books. p. 110. ISBN 9781594741630. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  18. ↑ Massie, Allan (12 May 2012). "Edward Lear was the master of glorious nonsense". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  19. ↑ Hart-Davis, Duff (22 November 1993). "Book Review – Oh Bibbles, oh Pips, this will set you purring: The Literary Companion to Dogs – Christopher Hawtree: Sinclair-Stevenson, pounds 25; The Chatto Book of Cats – Francis Wheen: Chatto, pounds 15.99". The Independent. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  20. ↑ Hughes, Larry (12 February 2010). "Mr. Lear/Al Stewart". The Classics Rock. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
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