William Trost Richards (1833–1905) was a celebrated American landscape and marine painter recognized for his association with both the Hudson River School and the American Pre-Raphaelite movement. Born in Philadelphia, Richards studied at Central High School and took art lessons with the German-born painter Paul Weber. While supporting himself as a designer and illustrator, Richards developed a passion for meticulous and truthful depictions of nature.

Richards exhibited his work at prestigious institutions such as the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the National Academy of Design, and the Brooklyn Art Association over several decades. He traveled widely in Europe, drawing inspiration from the Düsseldorf School and refining his detailed style. Early in his career, he painted evocative landscapes of the Adirondacks and White Mountains, but after 1867 increasingly focused on luminous, hyperrealistic marine watercolors and coastal scenes. Rejecting the romanticism of many Hudson River School artists, Richards advocated for fidelity to nature and helped elevate watercolor to new heights in American art.

His works are now held in major museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery, and the Smithsonian. Richards’s legacy endures through both his luminous seascapes and his role as a pioneer of American realism and luminism.