William Beckford

William Thomas Beckford (1760–1844) was a novelist, an art collector, a critic, a composer, a travel writer, and a politician. Born the son of a lord mayor of London, Beckford was extremely wealthy from a young age, and was once the wealthiest commoner in England. Beckford wrote Vathek, his most well-known work, in 1786. He later gained fame for his impressive art collection, with pieces that are still on display in the world’s greatest museums today.