Life

He was son of Thomas Richmond, originally of Bawtry

Bawtry

Bawtry is a small market town and civil parish which lies at the point where the Great North Road crosses the River Idle in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. Nearby towns include Gainsborough to the east, Retford south southeast, Worksop to the southwest and...

, and of an old Yorkshire family. His father was 'groom of the stables' to the Duke of Gloucester, and afterwards the proprietor of the Coach and Horses at Kew

Kew

Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...

, where the artist was born in 1771. His mother, Ann Bone, was a cousin of George Engleheart

George Engleheart

George Engleheart was one of the greatest English painters of portrait miniatures, and a contemporary of Richard Cosway, John Smart, William Wood, and Richard Crosse.-Family and home:...

, 'miniature-painter to the king.'

Thomas became Engleheart's pupil, and was employed by the royal family in copying miniatures by his master and Cosway. He also copied in miniature size many of the portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds

Joshua Reynolds

Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA was an influential 18th-century English painter, specialising in portraits and promoting the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first President of the Royal Academy...

 in the royalt collection. His original and unsigned miniatures are numerous. Some are on ivory, others are on paper, and in many cases full or half length, with the head in colours and the rest in pencil. Though the pose of some of his figures is in the stiff manner usual at the time, the portraits are lifelike, and the drawing and expression excellent.

In later years Richmond lived in the centre of fashion, 42 Half-Moon Street, Mayfair

Mayfair

Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...

. From 1795 to 1825 he exhibited forty-six miniatures at the Royal Academy

Royal Academy

The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...

. One of his miniatures, a portrait of his wife (Ann Oram), painted in 1808, was engraved by William Holl, jun.

His eldest son, also named Thomas Richmond

Thomas Richmond

Thomas Richmond was a British portrait painter, known for his idealised pictures in the so-called Keepsake style. He was the son of Thomas Richmond , the miniature painter, and the brother of George Richmond....

, was born in 1802. His younger son, George Richmond

George Richmond

For the 21st century educator see George H. RichmondGeorge Richmond was an English painter.George Richmond was the father of the painter William Blake Richmond as well as the grandfather of the naval historian, Admiral Sir Herbert Richmond.A keen follower of cricket, Richmond was noted in one...

, inherited many of his works. Both of his children also became noted artists.

He died in 1837, and was buried in Paddington churchyard.