William Trost Richards papers
name: label: Creator
content: Richards, William Trost, 1833-1905
label: Names
content: Avery, Samuel Putnam, 1822-1904
label: Names
content: Coates, Edward Hornor, 1846-1921
label: Names
content: Eakins, Thomas, 1844-1916
label: Names
content: Lambdin, George Cochran, 1830-1896
label: Names
content: Lanman, Charles, 1819-1895
label: Names
content: Whitney, George, d. 1885
label: Names
content: Wilcox, William H.
topic: label: Topic
content: Marine painters -- Rhode Island -- Newport
label: Topic
content: Marine painting -- 19th century -- Rhode Island -- Newport
label: Topic
content: Landscape painting -- 19th century -- Pennsylvania -- Germantown
label: Topic
content: Landscape painters -- Pennsylvania -- Germantown
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The bulk of the collection was donated in 1980 by Mrs. James B. Conant, Richards's granddaughter. The Archives microfilmed this portion of the collection on reels 2296-2299 upon receipt. The inventory of paintings by others was donated by Victor Spark in 1954 and filmed on reel 3470.
creator: label: Creator
content: Richards, William Trost, 1833-1905
setName: label: See more items in
content: William Trost Richards papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The William Trost Richards papers measure 1.8 linear feet and date from 1848-1920. The collection documents Richards' personal life and his career as a landscape and seascape painter. The collection consists of correspondence, writings, business files, printed material, photographs, and other miscellaneous materials.
bioghist: label: Biographical/Historical note
content: William Trost Richards was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1833. From 1850 to 1858 he worked as a designer and illustrator of ornamental metalwork, and briefly studied draughtsmanship and painting with the German artist Paul Weber. Richards was also an active member of the Forensic and Literary Circle of Philadelphia during the early 1850s. In 1852 he had his first exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and a year later was elected a full Academician. He had great interest in landscapes and geological subjects, and spent summers sketching in the Catskills and Adirondacks. From 1855 to 1856 Richards toured Europe with William Stanley Haseltine and Alexander Lawrie, and was influenced by the Dusseldorf school of landscape painters.

Richards married aspiring poetess Anna Matlack in 1856, and they settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania, where they had eight children, five of which survived to adulthood. In 1858 he attended an exhibition of British art in Philadelphia, and was greatly influenced by the works of Pre-Raphaelite painters. He began painting outdoors, executing precise, naturalistic, yet atmospheric, landscapes. In 1862 he joined the National Academy of Design, and in 1863 joined the Society for the Advancement of Truth in Art, an American Pre-Raphaelite organization. From 1868 to 1874, Richards spent summers on the East Coast and began focusing on marine subjects painted in watercolor, exhibiting often with the American Watercolor Society. Richards also traveled to Europe several times, and lived there from 1879-1880 while trying to find a new direction for his artwork. In 1881 he built a summer house for his family in Newport, Rhode Island and moved there permanently in 1890. His wife Anna died in 1900, and he continued to paint landscapes and seascapes until his death in 1905.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1.8 Linear feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1848-1920
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.richwill
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Daguerreotypes
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement note
content: The collection is arranged into 6 series:

Series 1: Correspondence, 1851-1917, undated (Box 1-2; 0.7 linear feet)

Series 2: Writings, 1849-1905, undated (Box 2-4; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 3: Business Files, 1865-1920, undated (Box 4; 3 folders)

Series 4: Printed Material, 1850-1906, 1976, undated (Box 4-5; 5 folders)

Series 5: Miscellany, 1848-1876, undated (Box 5; 5 folders)

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1850-1900 (Box 5; 7 folders)
processinfo: label: Processing Information note
content: The entire collection was fully processed, arranged, and described by Erin Corley in 2005 and scanned in 2010 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies note
content: This site provides access to the papers of William Trost Richards in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2010, and total 1295 images.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Daguerreotypes
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents note
content: The William Trost Richards papers measure 1.8 linear feet and date from 1848-1920. The collection documents Richards' personal life and his career as a landscape and seascape painter. The collection consists of correspondence, writings, business files, printed material, photographs, and other miscellaneous materials.

Correspondence files date from 1851 to 1917 and include family correspondence between Richards and his wife Anna as well as with their children. Of note are letters written by William Trost Richards to his wife while he was in Europe, which include many illustrations of his travels. Also found is general correspondence of a personal and professional nature between Richards and friends, artists, art dealers, and collectors, many of whom played a prominent role in Philadelphia society. Writings include essays written by Richards, homemade magazines written and illustrated by the Richards family, and writings by his wife Anna and others. Business files contain financial, legal, and real estate records, and printed material contains an exhibition catalog from 1976, news clippings, and event programs. Miscellany found in this collection include artwork by others, and inventory of paintings by others, compiled by Richards, and an interview transcript with Miriam Thayer Richards. Photographs include images of Richards, his wife Anna, and their home in Newport, Rhode Island.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Archival Materials note
content: Also available on microfilm at the Archives are the Geoge Whitney papers relating to William Trost Richards, 1875-1885, which includes 112 watercolors and an oil painting by William Trost Richards. These items were lent anonymously in 1979 and returned to the lender after they were filmed. They are available on reels 1497.