Richards, William (1917-2004)
Dates
- Existence: 1917 - 2004
Biography
William Richards earned his BFA at the Art School of the Pratt Institute and his MFA from Columbia University. During World War II he enlisted in the Army Signal Corps and among other assignments served the U.S. Air Force Reconnaissance and Photo Mapping program. After his military service he returned to Cleveland and eventually settled in Shaker Heights. A well-known commercial photographer, he owned William Richards Studios and contributed photography to the trade and national advertising campaigns of companies such as Eastman Kodak, Alcan, and Westinghouse. His fine art photographs, which are included in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art as well as corporate and personal collections, explore color and abstraction. He exhibited in the museum’s May Show as well as the Cleveland Playhouse Gallery, the Beck Center Museum, and the Trumball Art Gallery in Warren, Ohio.