Is this Bill Richmond?

Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program 

One of the myriad joys of the internet is its ability to bring together people with common interests and enthusiasms.

Over the last ten years I've made numerous contacts online who have helped enhance my knowledge of Bill Richmond and have opened up new research avenues for me. Without exception the people I have corresponded with have been decent, helpful, passionate and intelligent.

One such person is Jerry Leibowitz, who runs a thoughtful and fascinating blog entitled I discovered America. Like me, Jerry has a huge interest in Bill Richmond and he has also formulated a fascinating theory, namely that the sculpture pictured above, credited by the Getty Museum and the Yale Center for British Art as being the work of Francis Harwood in 1758, is actually a much later sculpture of ... yes! Bill Richmond!

Jerry's thesis is very convincing and very interesting ... check out his fascinating posts on the subject below:
Bust of a Man
Bust of a Man ... Alternate version
Bust of a Man, the Sequel - Bill Richmond Strikes Back

Meanwhile, this post contains Jerry's work on the historical background / context to his later work:
Follow the Money

And while I'm recommending further reading for you Richmondophiles out there, you should also check out another recent post of Jerry's: the first chapter of a novel he's writing about Bill Richmond. Well worth reading and a real appetiser for the full length novel to follow!

You know what? I love finding fellow Bill Richmond fans ... If we all work together, we can help even more people learn about Bill's amazing life and achievements.

So, God bless you Bill, and God bless you Jerry Leibowitz for helping spreading Bill's good name and wonderful story with your work and research.