Sir Richard Wallace was one of the greatest English art collector and philanthropist. He was born in London on the 26th of July 1818 as Richard Jackson. But nobody knows about Richard Wallace's parentage despite extensive researches by a number of historians.

Richard Wallace grew up in Paris where he actively pursued his hobby and became an assiduous collector of all sorts of valuable ob jets d'art and acquired a magnificent collection of the finest examples of painting, armour, furniture and bric-a-brac. In 1870 Wallace was left a large fortune by the marquess of Hertford who died unmarried.

During the Franco Prussian war in 1871 Wallace used the ample funds at his disposal and spent freely providing food for the starving people during the siege of Paris. He provided two field ambulances that were like miniature hospitals and food and coal for the people. He became famous among the French as well as the English for his brave and philanthropic work.

Richard Wallace had a seat in the Parliament for Lisburn from1873-1885 and held several important positions. In 1878 he served as the British commissioner at the Paris Exhibition, and was also a trustee of the National Gallery and a governor of the National Gallery of Ireland. He died in Paris on the 20th of July 1890; his entire art collection was given to Britain by his wife and is now on display at Hertford House in Manchester Square.