Paint Here

Paint Here

Share this post

Paint Here
Paint Here
Richard Burton's Monkeys

Richard Burton's Monkeys

The great explorer had a monkey school

James Gurney's avatar
James Gurney
Feb 07, 2025
∙ Paid
39

Share this post

Paint Here
Paint Here
Richard Burton's Monkeys
8
3
Share

During his time in India, explorer Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890) collected 40 monkeys of different ages, species, and genders, and created an unusual "monkey school" where he attempted to learn their language.

Burton took this experiment quite seriously, giving each monkey an honorary title like "chaplain," "secretary," and "aide-de-camp."

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Paint Here to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 James Gurney
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share