Albert Letchford (1866–1905) was an English artist who lived in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, best known for his portraits of

Sir Richard Francis Burton Sir Richard Francis Burton (; 19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890) was a British explorer, writer, orientalist scholar,and soldier. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as his extraordinary kn ...

and his illustrations for the 1897 edition of

The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night ''The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night'' (1888), subtitled ''A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments'', is the only complete English language translation of '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (the ''Arabian N ...

Life

Albert Letchford was born in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

in 1866, the son of Thomas and Eliza Letchford. He completed his artistic training in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, and travelled to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

where he made a living from small commissions. He met

at the house of the English novelist

Ouida Ouida (; 1 January 1839 – 25 January 1908) was the pseudonym of the English novelist Maria Louise Ramé (although she preferred to be known as Marie Louise de la Ramée). During her career, Ouida wrote more than 40 novels, as well as sh ...

(Maria Louise Ramé) in Florence, though both were living in Trieste at the time. Burton had been British Consul there since 1872. Burton's wife Isabel commissioned Letchford to paint four views from the windows of Villa Gossleth (now Villa Economo), their residence in Trieste, and nine of their favourite interiors, including one of Burton studying in his bedroom. Letchford became the Burtons' "Court Painter", frequently working in their house, and painted a life-size portrait of Burton fencing. These paintings now form part of the Burton Collection, housed in

Orleans House Gallery Orleans House was a Palladian architecture, Palladian villa built by the architect John James (architect), John James in 1710 near the River Thames, Thames at Twickenham, England, for the politician and diplomat James Johnston (Secretary of Sta ...

, London. On Burton's death on 20 October 1890, his widow commissioned Letchford to make plaster casts of Burton's head, hand and foot. He and his sister Daisy had become trusted acquaintances of Isabel who, fearing for her sanity, signed a power of attorney to her doctor and to Letchford, and appointed them as her executors. After Isabel Burton's departure from Trieste for England, Letchford and his family moved to Naples, where he produced seventy-two illustrations for the 12-volume Library Edition of

published by H.S.Nichols & Co, London in 1897. He died in Naples on 24 July 1905 and was buried there in the English Cemetery, together with other members of his family.

References

External links

The Burton Collection, Orleans House Gallery, London
{{authority control 1866 births 1905 deaths English artists