author
Frederick Locker-Lampson
1821–1895
Best known for light, polished verse and a gift for social wit, this Victorian man of letters also became a noted book collector. His work pairs charm and brevity with a quietly observant view of everyday life.
2 Audiobooks
London Lyrics
by Frederick Locker-Lampson
A Selection from the Works of Frederick Locker
by Frederick Locker-Lampson
About the author
Born at Greenwich Hospital in 1821, he was the son of Edward Hawke Locker and was educated in England before holding posts connected with government service, including work at Somerset House and the Admiralty. He first published as Frederick Locker and later added the surname Lampson after his second marriage, becoming Frederick Locker-Lampson.
He is remembered chiefly as a poet of "society verse," especially for London Lyrics, a collection admired for its grace, humor, and conversational ease. Beyond his writing, he was deeply involved in literary life and was known as a bibliophile whose famous Rowfant Library reflected his taste for rare books, manuscripts, and prints.
Locker-Lampson died in 1895. Though his poems are often small in scale, they helped secure his place in Victorian literary culture as a writer valued for elegance, wit, and cultivated charm.