Museum Profile
Edward Gorey House
Not English and not 19th century, Edward St. John Gorey was born in Chicago in 1925. Shortly after he could walk he drew and shortly after he drew he taught himself to read—an activity that consumed him for the rest of his life with over 25,000 volumes of books in his Yarmouth Port home at the time of his death in 2000. In addition to his vast commercial illustration projects, Edward found time to publish first The Unstrung Harp in 1953 and subsequently another hundred additional titles over the succeeding decades. His unique cross-hatched ink style and the stark timeless world he evokes throughout his illustration, his delight in murder and mayhem, bad luck and mischance—and the rich humor and life-affirming silliness found in such things drove all his work. A foreshadower of the graphic novelist, zine-maker, experimental playwright and auteur of what we now call “shabby chic” Edward’s influence continues to run deep in literature, art, film and theatre today and his home is a constantly evolving showcase to his many talents.
