A Meticulous Vision of Nature: The Life and Art of William Trost Richards William Trost Richards, born in Philadelphia on November 14, 1833, occupies a unique position within the pantheon of American landscape painters. He wasn’t driven by the dramatic flourishes or romanticized ideals that characterized many of his contemporaries within the Hudson River School; instead, Richards pursued an almost scientific fidelity to nature, rendering scenes with a precision and detail that bordered on photographic realism. His early life provided a foundation for this distinctive approach. While formally…