Blue Plaques of London - an entertainment and education

Walking around London you constantly pass blue plaques honouring people you have half heard of. What a delight. I take photos and look them up when I get home. I recently walked from Holborn station towards the British Museum and the Cartoon Museum. I passed several blue plaques.

Here's a blue plaque put up by Greater London Council to Randolph Caldecott 1846-1886. Poor man, in the sense of unfortunately, not in terms of fame and income but in terms of health and longevity. He was a talented and successful book illustrator, one of thirteen children, in poor health, and died in his forties. You can see his illustrations in Wikipedia, an account taken from the early version of Britannica which is in public domain. For example, he illustrated The dish ran away with the spoon, and The house that Jack built. 

I have missed my chance to be one of those who developed early and fizzled out. Some people achieve success when they are young and die young. They seem to be racing against time. We are all racing against time. I am more of a late developer, ready to develop my talents and be discover late, like Grandma Moses. Which sort are you, early developer or late developer.

I was on my way to the Cartoon Museum, to see even more famous book illustrators, such as T e n i e l who illustrated Alice in Wonderland.

Angela Lansbury, author and illustrator, travel writer and photographer, speaker.