Robert Ker Porter noted artist, author, diplomat and traveler. Known today for his accounts of his travels in Spain, Portugal and Russia, he also served as the British consul in Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

. Porter visited Spain in 1808 and was invited by Sir John Moore whom he had met previously in Sweden, to accompany the British forces, and the artist witnessed the actions at Benavente

Benavente

Benavente may refer to: Benavente, Portugal— a municipality in Portugal Benavente, Zamora— a municipality in Zamora province, Spain Benavente, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico one of the five Barrios that make up Hormigueros.As a surname...

, Sahagun

Sahagún

Sahagún can refer to:*Sahagún, Spain, a town and monastery in Léon, Spain. Cradle of the Mudéjar architecture*Sahagún, Córdoba, the second town in population in Córdoba Department, Colombia, also called "The Cultural City of Cordoba"People...

 and Corunna

A Coruña

A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...

. He was also one of the earliest panorama

Panorama

A panorama is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film/video, or a three-dimensional model....

 painters in Britain producing several significant pieces including the Storming of Seringapatam, the Siege of Acre, The Battle of Lodi

Battle of Lodi

The Battle of Lodi was fought on May 10, 1796 between French forces under General Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian rear guard led by Karl Philipp Sebottendorf at Lodi, Lombardy...

, Defeat of the French at the Devil's Bridge, Mont St. Gothard, by Suwarrow, and the Battle of Alexandria

Battle of Alexandria

The Battle of Alexandria or Battle of Canope, fought on March 21, 1801 between the French army under General Menou and the British expeditionary corps under Sir Ralph Abercrombie, took place near the ruins of Nicopolis, on the narrow spit of land between the sea and Lake Abukir, along which the...

. He was knighted for his services to the diplomatic corps. He also exhibited several pictures at the Royal Academy

Royal Academy

The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...

 including Death of Sir Philip Sydney in 1792, The Defeat of King Stephen

Stephen of England

Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...

 at the Battle of Lincoln

Battle of Lincoln (1141)

The Battle of Lincoln or First Battle of Lincoln occurred on 2 February 1141. In it Stephen of England was captured, imprisoned and effectively deposed while Empress Matilda ruled for a short time.-Account:...

in 1793, and the Battle of Northampton

Battle of Northampton

Battle of Northampton may refer to:*Battle of Northampton *Battle of Northampton...

in 1796.

Works by

• Porter, Robert Ker (1809). Letters from Portugal and Spain witten during the march of the troops under Sir John Moore. London: Hurst, Rees, and Orme.
• Porter, Robert Ker (1809). Travelling sketches in Russia and Sweden during the years 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808. Philadelphia: Hopkins and Earle.
• Porter, Robert Ker (1810?). The costume of the inhabitants of Russia. London: J. Edington.
• Porter, Robert Ker (1815). A narrative of the campaign in Russia during the year 1812. By Sir Robert Ker Porter. Hartford: Andrus and Starr.
• Porter, Robert Ker (1821-22). Travels in Georgia, Persia, Armenia, ancient Babylonia, &c. &c. during the years 1817, 1818, 1819, and 1820. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown.