Albert D. (Albert Dresden) Vandam

Born in London in March 1843, he was the son of Mark Vandam and spent much of his youth in Paris, where he was privately educated and remained for about fifteen years. That long early stay in France shaped the rest of his career and gave him the close knowledge of Parisian life that later became the heart of his writing.

He began working as a journalist during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and reported for American newspapers during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71. After settling in London in 1871, he worked on translations from French and Dutch as well as other literary projects, and from 1882 to 1887 he returned to Paris as the Globe's correspondent.

He is best remembered for books such as An Englishman in Paris and Undercurrents of the Second Empire, along with a range of translations and historical works tied to French and European affairs. Albert Dresden Vandam died in London on October 25, 1903.