Lot Essay
Frederick DeBourg Richards was born in 1922 in Wilmington, Delaware, where he lived until 1844. His dedication to perfecting his craft led him to move to New York City where he believed there was a greater chance of establishing his name. He returned to Philadelphia in 1848 and opened a daguerreotype gallery that remained in operation until 1856. During the 1870s and 1880s, Richards was a frequent visitor to Anglesea (now North Wildwood) on the New Jersey shore and there created a substantial body of small, minimal and very elegant cyanotypes of the coastline. Lot 602 is one, very typical example of this exquisite