William Trost Richards – Biography

William Trost Richards was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the United States on the 3rd of June, 1833.

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Early Life of William Trost Richards

He was affiliated with the Hudson River School, an American Movement formed by a group of landscape artists who were influenced by romanticism and brought in their aesthetic factor on paper.

He was also a part of the Pre Raphaelite Movement or the Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood which was another group of artists that included painters, poets, and critics in the mid 18th century in Great Britain.

William Trost Richards Biography

In 1846, he went to the Central High School, Philadelphia, United States. In the year 1850 and the next five years, he was working as a designer and illustrator of ornamental metalworks.

Simultaneously, he did part-time learning under the guidance of Paul Weber, a German artist, and cartoonist of the Victorian Era.

Central High School, Philadelphia- William Trost Richards Alma Mater

Richards art was first brought before the public at the exhibition at New Bedford, Massachusetts organized by Western American artist Albert Bierstadt in 1858.

Academic Life of William Trost Richards

He was elected as an honorary member of National Academy of Design in 1862. He was a member of Association of Advanced of Truth in Art, an American Pre Raphaelite Group in the year 1863. After 3 years in 1866, he left for Europe for a year.

An image of The National Academy of Design, Manhattan, 1865.

After he returned, he spent the next six years on the East Coast. He held exhibitions at the National Academy of design from 1861 to 1899. He also exhibited at the Brooklyn Art Association from 1863 to 1885. In 1871, he was a full elected member of the National Academy.

Works and Beliefs of William Trost Richards

William was all about meticulous factual rendering and less about the romanticized style of art.

William Trost Richards Landscape

His views on the landscape of the White Mountains are almost photogenic in their realism. In the later years, his paintings were dominated by watercolors.

A present day image of the Smithsonian Museum of Art.

His works feature today at American Museums such as Smithsonian American Art Museums, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, the National Gallery, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art to name a few.

A present day image of the interior of the Brooklyn Museum of Art that houses the works of William Trost Richards.

In 1888, he traveled to Europe again and owned a studio in London for two years. he was known to hold exhibitions at the Grosvenor Gallery and the Royal Gallery.