Frank Cuttriss

Writing under the name Frank Cuttriss, Francis Robert "Frank" Hinkins was an English author, photographer, and illustrator born in 1852 and died in 1934. He is especially associated with Romany Life, a book drawn from long personal contact with Romany communities in Britain.

Hinkins was also known for his photography and for contributing images to the work of his friend Arthur Mee, including material connected with The Children's Encyclopaedia. That visual background helps explain the clear, scene-setting quality of his prose: even when he is writing nonfiction, he often gives readers the feeling of being there with him.

Today, Frank Cuttriss is mainly remembered for preserving a detailed, personal record of a world that many settled readers of his time barely knew. His work remains of interest both as travel-and-social observation and as a window into late 19th- and early 20th-century attitudes toward Romany life.