Gotfryd, Bernard, photographer
Edward Gorey
PainterKnown for:
macabre alphabetical illustrated books; The Gashlycrumb Tinies
Education:
Harvard University (BA, French, 1950); largely self-taught as artist
Edward Gorey produced more than 100 books of meticulously cross-hatched Victorian and Edwardian drawings of sinister, inexplicable, and frequently fatal events described in deadpan alphabetical or counting sequences. The Gashlycrumb Tinies (1963), in which children meet alphabetically arranged ends, is the most widely reprinted of his works. He studied at Harvard alongside Frank O'Hara and was also a devoted student of Japanese art, which influenced the compressed, atmospheric quality of his drawings.
Edward Gorey's Gear List(2)
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Connection Source
EdwardgoreyhouseWebsite
Connection note
Created all his illustrations in pen and India ink; built shadow through crosshatching rather than brush-filled areas
Product description
A carbon-based drawing ink made from fine soot particles (lampblack or carbon black) suspended in water with a binding agent, traditionally shellac. India ink dries to a permanent, waterproof, deep black finish and works with brushes, dip pens, and technical pens. It has been used for writing and drawing for thousands of years across Asian and Western traditions.
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Last updated March 20, 2026
