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)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Summary:
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.
Citation:
William Trost Richards papers, 1848-1920. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
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.
Funding:
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Use Note:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Related Materials:
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.
Biography Note:
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.
Language Note:
The records are in English.
Provenance:
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.
Digitization Note:
This site provides access to the papers of William Trost Richards in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2012. The papers have been scanned in their entirety, and total 4,388 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Marine painters -- Rhode Island -- Newport Search this
Marine painting -- 19th century -- Rhode Island -- Newport Search this
Landscape painting -- 19th century -- Pennsylvania -- Germantown Search this
Landscape painters -- Pennsylvania -- Germantown Search this
