Born on November 5th 1850 and was born in Herne Bay Kent, England, Richard Simkin grew up in Aldershot, Hampshire, marrying his wife, Harriet, in 1880, and it is also believed he was a volunteer in the Artist's Rifles. He was employed by the War Office to design recruiting posters. He is probabaly best know for his series of Army regiments including Yeomanry and Colonial regiments, a weekly supplement print to the Army and Navy Gazette. In 1901 he created a series of 'Types of the Indian Army' for the Gazette. He obtained much of the information from the Colonial and India Exhibition of 1886. Over a period of over 50 years Richard Simkin produced thousands of watercolours of Army uniforms and watercolours of Army life and campaigns. Many of these paintings can be seen in regimental museums and messes. Simkin also contributed illustrations to The Army and Navy gazzette, the Boy's Own Magazine, and The Graphic and many paintings were used in books and publications of Raphael Tuck and Sons. Richard Simkin died on the 25th June 1926 at home at 7 Cavensigh Street, Herne Bay. Many of richard Simkin's antique prints have been reproduced as prints by Cranston Fine Arts and are available from our websites, along with many original antique prints which are hard to find these days.
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Military Art and Artists 
Richard Simkin
