George Edward Lodge | |
|---|---|
 Lodge'sgreat auk, from Evans'Birds | |
| Born | (1860-12-03)3 December 1860 |
| Died | 5 February 1954(1954-02-05) (aged 93) |
| Resting place | St Benedict’s,Horncastle, Lincolnshire |
| Known for | Painting; wildlife conservation. |
| Notable work | Illustrations forThe Birds of the British Isles |
George Edward LodgeFZS, (3 December 1860 – 5 February 1954)[1] was a British illustrator ofbirds and an authority onfalconry.
George Edward Lodge was born atScrivelsby,Lincolnshire. His father,Samuel Lodge (1829–1897), was aCanon ofLincoln Cathedral and rector of Scrivelsby, Lincolnshire. G. E. Lodge was the seventh child of eleven, and the fifth son. His brother is the photographerReginald Badham Lodge (1852–1937).[citation needed]
He was educated at home, and became an accomplished taxidermist. He travelled abroad in search of birds and sport, visitingNorway,Sweden, theWest Indies and the United States. He was, however, most at home in theScottish Highlands.[citation needed]
He attendedLincoln School of Art[1] and studied and worked inLondon[2] before moving around 1920[3] toCamberley, Surrey.
One of the earliest works for which he made illustrations wasLord Lilford’sBirds ofNorthamptonshire, in conjunction withArchibald Thorburn, whose skill as a bird-artist Lodge greatly admired. This admiration was returned as in the early 1910s Thorburn was approached by a representative of the New Zealand Government regarding a commission to provide plates for a proposed book of New Zealand native birds. Thorburn recommended Lodge for the commission and in 1913 Lodge began work. He studied bird skin specimens from a number of different collections in Britain including theNatural History Museum and eventually supplied 90 plates to the Wildlife Service of the Department of Internal Affairs of New Zealand. Due to the illness of the author the proposed book was never finished and the plates remained with the Department of Internal Affairs until they were transferred to theDominion Museum in 1948. In 1983 the remaining[clarification needed] 89 plates were eventually published in the bookGeorge Edward Lodge: The Unpublished New Zealand Bird Paintings with text by C.A. Fleming.[4]
Lodge was also an expert atwoodcuts, in which craft he contributed to books byHenry Seebohm andBadminton Library. His illustrations appeared inBeebe’sMonograph of thePheasants andEliot Howard’sIntroduction to Bird Behaviour (1929).
He published his only book,Memoirs of an Artist Naturalist in 1946, illustrating it with his own pictures. One of his last acts, shortly before his eyesight became impaired, was to institute atrust fund[5] for the publication of original works innatural history: the first publication wasThe Birds of the British Isles byDr David Bannerman, for which Lodge painted 377 illustrations depicting 435species.
Lodge took an active part in the conservation of wild life. He served for many years on the executive council of theSociety for the Promotion of Nature Reserves, and was also an active member of theInternational Committee for Bird Protection. In 1945 he was elected vice-president of theBritish Ornithologists' Union, the first artist to be so honoured.
Lodge died in hospital on 5 February 1954 atFrimley,Surrey[6] and his ashes were interred in the same churchyard as his parents' grave at St Benedict's,Horncastle, Lincolnshire.[7]
The author of his obituary inThe Times wrote:
A man of most exceptional charm and distinction, [Lodge] was recognized on both sides of theAtlantic as one of the finest bird-artiststhis country has ever produced. His wide experience in falconry doubtless gave him special knowledge of thehawk family, for he was a keen falconer from his earliest days. In the painting of birds of prey he had no rival in any country. He was primarily an artist but, being a goodnaturalist as well, he was able to depict his subjects among their natural surroundings and to make them look alive.[8]
An exhibition of Lodge's work, to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth, was held atNature in Art, Gloucester, from 30 March–9 May 2010.
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His illustrations were used in books including:
