Richard Simkin (1850–1926) was a British artist and illustrator of

military uniforms A military uniform is a standardised dress worn by members of the armed forces and paramilitaries of various nations. Military dress and styles have gone through significant changes over the centuries, from colourful and elaborate, ornamented c ...

Biography

Born in

Herne Bay Herne Bay is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in South East England. It is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury local government ...

, Kent, on 5 November 1850, the son of a commercial traveller, also named Richard. He spent much of his time at

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

, Hampshire, after marrying his wife, Harriet, in 1880, and may also have been a volunteer in the Artists Rifles. He was employed by the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

to design recruiting posters, and to illustrate the ''Army and Navy Gazette''. In 1901 he created a series of 'Types of the Indian Army' for the Gazette.;Arnold Wilson (1972). ''A Dictionary of British Military Painters''. Leigh-on-Sea: F. Lewis he obtained much of the information from the Colonial and India Exhibition of 1886. During his lifetime, he, along with Orlando Norie produced thousands of watercolours depicting the uniforms and campaigns of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. Simkin also contributed illustrations to numerous publications including the

Boy's Own Magazine ''Boys' Own'' or ''Boy's Own'' or ''Boys Own'', is the title of a varying series of similarly titled magazines, story papers, and newsletters published at various times and by various publishers, in the United Kingdom and the United States, ...

The Graphic ''The Graphic'' was a British weekly illustrated newspaper, first published on 4 December 1869 by William Luson Thomas's company Illustrated Newspapers Ltd. Thomas's brother Lewis Samuel Thomas was a co-founder. The premature death of the latt ...

and others; many were published by Raphael Tuck and sons. He died at his home at 7 Cavendish Street, Herne Bay on 25 June 1926, survived by his wife and two daughters. Today, his pictures can be seen in numerous regimental museums and his illustrations appear in regimental histories, while watercolours frequently come up for auction.

Publications

* ''The War in Egypt''. London: George Routledge, 1883 * ''Our Soldiers and Sailors in Egypt''. London: George Routledge, 1885 * ''Uniforms of the British Army, in Twelve Representative Plates''. London: Halford Bros, 1886 * ''Military Types''. London: George Berridge, 1888–1902 * ''Life in the Army''. London: Chapman & Hall, 1889 * ''A Book of Soldiers''. London: Perry., c. 1890 * ''Following the Drum''. London: William Allen, c. 1890 * ''Where Glory Calls. The Soldier's Scrap Book''. London: William Allen, c. 1890 * ''The Royal Military Tournament''. London: Frederick Warne, c. 1890 * ''The Boy's Books of British Battles from 1704 to 1882''. London: George Routledge, c. 1890 * ''Our Armies''. London: Sampson Low, Marston, 1891 * ''British Soldiers Past and Present: Their Dress and Equipment from 1600 to Date''. London: Frederick Warne, c. 1894 * ''Armed Europe''. London: Raphael Tuck, c. 1895 * ''The Army''. London: George Routledge, c. 1900 * ''The Great Powers of the World''. London: Dean, c. 1900 * ''Soldiers of the Queen''. London: Thomas Nelson, c. 1900 * ''Soldiers of the Century''. London: Dean, 1901 * ''Sailors of the Century''. London: Dean, 1901

Gallery

Image:Richard Simkin03.jpg, ''The Connaught Rangers'' Image:King's Regiment (Liverpool), 1891.jpg, ''The King's Regiment'' Image:Imperial yeomanry.jpg, ''Imperial Yeomanry''

References

External links

*
Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, Brown University Library
over 350 original water-colours by Simkin {{DEFAULTSORT:Simkin, Richard 1850 births 1926 deaths British illustrators British war artists 19th-century war artists

Biography

Publications

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links