BIOGKAPHICAL NOTES 



BY EDWAED BARTLETl". 



Abraham dee Bartlett was born on October 27, 1812. 

 He died on May 7, 1897, in his eighty-fifth year, after 

 a long and painful illness, and was laid to rest in the 

 family grave in Highgate Cemetery. 



I have succeeded in collecting from among some scraps of 

 paper the following notes made by my father, and which I 

 reproduce as nearly as possible in the original words: — ■ 



" My origin is a very humble one. My father (John Bartlett) 

 was apprenticed to and, after serving his apprenticeship, em- 

 ployed by tlie father of one of the greatest of English painters, 

 whose name was Turner. But my father, as a tonsorial artist, 

 used the brush upon living portraits which are no more, while 

 young Turner's brusli was wielded in oil-colour on canvas to 

 represent living portraits, and consequently the wonderful pro- 

 ductions of his brush are to this day preserved. 



" I liad, however, one opportunity which laid the foundation 

 of, and the stepping-stone to, my insatiable love for animals. 

 Mr. Turner lived in Exeter Street, Strand, and the wonderful 

 collection of wild beasts was then at Exeter 'Cliange. It was 

 here that I was, during my infancy, introduced to wild animals. 

 Mr. Cross, the proprietor, being u, great friend of my father, 

 allowed me a free entree to that very remarkable and interesting 

 menagerie. In consequence of my early introduction to wild 

 animals, almost before I could walk, I being allowed to crawl 

 about in the beast-room of that menagerie, playing witli young 

 lions and other animals that were not likely to harm me, I have 

 not the remotest recollection of seeing for the first time lions, 



B 



