Alfred Lambourne facts for kids

Alfred Lambourne (born February 2, 1850 – died June 6, 1926) was an amazing artist and writer from England. When he was a kid, his family moved to the American West with the Mormon pioneers. He is most famous for his beautiful paintings. But he also wrote many short stories and poems.

Early Life

Alfred Lambourne was born in Chieveley, England, near the River Lambourn. His parents were William and Martha Wernham. When Alfred was young, his family moved to the United States. They first lived in St. Louis, Missouri. Later, they moved to Utah Territory.

Art and Exploration

Alfred's parents saw his artistic talent early on. They encouraged him to draw and paint.

Journey to Utah

During the trip from St. Louis to Salt Lake City, Utah, Alfred drew pictures of the scenery. He kept a sketchbook of everything he saw. When he arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah at age 16, he got a job. He worked as a scenic artist for the Salt Lake Theatre. This meant he painted the backgrounds for plays.

Exploring the West

In 1871, Alfred joined Brigham Young on a trip. Brigham Young was the leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was also a former Governor of the Utah Territory. Alfred made the first sketches of Zion Canyon on this trip.

In the same years, Lambourne traveled all over the American West.

• He went with photographer Charles Roscoe Savage. Alfred painted while Savage took photos.
• He explored the Wasatch mountains with H. L. A. Culmer. He painted and even named some places there.
• He also painted a series of large pictures. These showed his journey from the East Coast to the Golden Gate in California. He did this with Reuben Kirkham.
• He also visited famous places like Yosemite, Colorado, and Arizona.

Later Life and Writing

Later in his life, Alfred Lambourne focused more on writing. He sometimes drew pictures for his books. He wrote 14 books in total.

In November 1895, he lived alone for a year. He stayed on Great Salt Lake's remote Gunnison Island. While there, he wrote a book called Our Inland Sea. In March 1896, some people came to the island. They were collecting guano (bird droppings). Lambourne wrote about them in his book. In early winter of 1896, Lambourne left the island.

Alfred Lambourne passed away on June 6, 1926, in Salt Lake City.

Images for kids

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  Alfred Lambourne (around 1890)

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  View of the Great Salt Lake