Richard Ford

Richard Ford (1796–1858) was an English travel writer known for his books on Spain. Born in Chelsea into an upper class family and educated at Oxford, he first moved to Spain in 1830, where he travelled extensively and collected notes and drawings. Upon return to England, he wrote an account of his journeys in A Handbook for Travellers in Spain, first published in 1845, described as one of masterpieces of the travel literature genre. An erudite art collector, he befriended many important art and literature figures of his time. Ford was himself skilled in drawing himself, and made illustrations for his own and his friends' books.