About the author

Fred Richards (1878–1932) was a British illustrator and printmaker known for his urban landscape sketches. Public information about him is limited, and many details of his life remain unknown, yet the four works held in the collection clearly show the focus of his output: the sketch-books Florence, Oxford, Venice and Rome, all devoted to famous European cities and recording their streets, buildings and riverbanks in drawings and prints. Illustrated city sketch-books of this kind were popular in the early twentieth century, serving travelers while also satisfying readers' interest in the visual memory of historic cities. Richards's manner is lively and realistic, attentive to architectural outlines and the play of light and shadow, with clean compositions suited to browsing. His works are still consulted as illustrations of how these cities looked at the time and retain documentary and collectible value.

Written (4)

Publishers

Project Gutenberg