author
Fred Richards
1878–1932
Best known for lively sketchbooks of Oxford, Florence, Rome, and Venice, this Welsh artist-author turned travel and architecture into vivid, inviting pages. His work blends an illustrator’s eye with a restless traveler’s curiosity.
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About the author
Born in Newport, Monmouthshire, in 1878, Frederick Charles Richards was a Welsh painter, etcher, writer, and teacher who usually worked under the name Fred Richards. He studied at Newport School of Art, spent time training in Bruges, and later won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London.
He became especially known for architectural drawings and etchings shaped by travels in Europe and North Africa. Alongside his art, he wrote and illustrated popular sketchbooks, including books on Oxford, Florence, Rome, and Venice, bringing famous places to life with a warm, observant style.
Richards lived simply, was remembered as generous and well liked, and died in London in 1932. Collections of his work are held by institutions including Newport Museum and Art Gallery, the National Museum of Wales, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.