The Diary of Ford Madox Brown

This journal is the working diary of a painter. At its start in 1847 Ford Madox Brown was twenty-six years old, a widower with a young child, scarcely any money and with no acknowledged reputation. It was a cheerless life, aggravated by a tendency to imagine a slight where none was intended; this, and an outspoken contempt for authority, were ingredients unlikely to make for an easy relationship.