Edward Gorey's Estate Helps Animals in Need

An artist and author who drew legions of fans into his imaginary world of the comically macabre, today the life and work of the late surrealist (and cat admirer) Edward Gorey is helping to illustrate the need to help our friends with fur, fins and feathers.

Famous for his darkly humorous pen-and-ink depictions of people in peril (many have been introduced to Gorey’s Gothic creations in the opening sequence of Masterpiece Mystery! on PBS), felines do not face the same fate in the illustrator’s artwork, fortunately.

Edward Gorey House; photographer James Burke; Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

In Category: Fifty Drawings by Edward Gorey, Gorey’s cartoon clowder grin in his artwork like the proverbial Cheshire Cat.

Smiles can also be seen on the faces of T.S. Eliot’s classic character’s in a Gorey-illustrated edition of Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

Perhaps Gorey’s own meowing menagerie served as muses when he sat down to sketch. The artist shared his home with six cats, although they were not the only paws which promenaded on the premises.

Once owning 21 fur coats (some of which were also used as props for his pictures), in the 1980s Gorey awoke to the pain and suffering in the animal world and stored away his furs. Atoning for his fashion faux pas, he allowed a family of raccoons to take up residence in his attic.

Edward Gorey passed away in 2000, but his legacy of love for all creatures great and small lives on through The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust, which distributes the royalties from Gorey’s work to the many animal welfare organizations which were close to the iconic creator’s heart.

Among those which care for companion animals are:

The Animal Rescue League of Boston- Cape Cod Branch
Carrie A Seaman Animal Shelter, a no-kill facility in Provincetown, Massachusetts; Massachusetts
SPCA Angell in Boston
The New England Society for Abandoned Animals
Pet Partners in Fall River, Massachusetts, which provides free or low-cost spay/neuter and wellness services
Tufts Veterinary School

Also remembering in his will his animal friends who walk on the wild side, grants from The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust are also awarded to:

Bat Conservation International Foundation in Austin, Texas
Xeres Society in Portland, Oregon
The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee
International Fund for Animal Welfare in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts
National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts
Wild Care in Eastham, Massachusetts
Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation in San Antonio, Texas

Fans can find out more about Gorey’s passion for paws causes at The Edward Gorey House museum.

Also known as The Elephant House, at the Cape Cod residence fans can mull over illustrations and family photos, take a look at the one fur coat left from his collection (the others were sold at auction, with the proceeds benefiting animal welfare organizations), check out an eclectic assortment of objects gathered over the years by the writer/illustrator, and even embark on a Gashlycrumb Tinies scavenger hunt.

Located at 8 Strawberry Lane in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, the museum is open from April – December.

“Books. Cats. Life is good.” Edward Gorey and friends, at home…..