Richard Principal Leitch

Cherbourg – The Artists – Leitch, Richard Principal

This page forms part of a series of pages dedicated to the many artists who painted in Cherbourg. A full list of all the artists with a link to their works can be found at the bottom of this page.

Richard Principal Leitch
Richard Principal Leitch

Movement(s): –

Richard Principal Leitch (1827 – 1882) was a British painter, engraver and book author.

Richard was the son of the painter and drawing-master, William Leighton Leitch (1804–1883). Richard P. Leitch was a landscape painter, an excellent water-colour painter and a good draughtsman on wood, he exhibited between 1844 and 1860 at the Royal Academy as R. Leitch Junior, at first from his father’s address.

In September 1857 he was in Normandy painting watercolours for Queen Victoria. Thereafter, especially when his father was ill, he painted extensively for the queen and gave lessons to her children; the styles of father and son are often confused. William Leitch stated that both Richard and a younger son, William, were ‘most graciously set a-going’ by the queen.

Richard Leitch published drawing manuals in the 1870s and early 1880s and worked as an illustrator for journals such as The Quiver and Good Words. His wife died a few months before him in 1882, leaving two children.

Not much else is known about this painter.

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1857 - Richard Leitch - View of Cherbourg with Fort Querqueville
1857 – Richard Leitch – View of Cherbourg with Fort Querqueville

TODAY: The Fort Querqueville still exists today, but its future is uncertain since it has recently been sold.

Bricquebec

Bricquebec lies directly to the South of Cherbourg. It is now called Bricquebec-en-Cotentin.

1857 - Richard Leitch - View of Bricquebec, Normandy
1857 – Richard Leitch – View of Bricquebec, Normandy
1857 - Richard Leitch - Chateau de Bricquebec, Normandy
1857 – Richard Leitch – Chateau de Bricquebec, Normandy

TODAY: The Chateau de Bricquebec still exists but it’s in ruins. The castle was built in the 10th century.

Martinvast

Martinvast is a commun directly to the South of Cherbourg.

1857 - Richard Leitch - Chateau Martinvast, near Cherbourg
1857 – Richard Leitch – Chateau Martinvast, near Cherbourg

TODAY: The Chateau Martinvast (also known as chateau de Beaurepaire) still exists but is in private hands.

Richard Leitch painted in several places in France, links “” to his works of art will appear below when finished;

  • Brittany
    • Brest
  • Hauts-de-France
    • Boulogne-sur-Mer
  • Normandy
  • Nouvelle-Aquitaine
    • La Rochelle

Here are the artists we found who worked in Cherbourg. A link “” will show when that artist’s works has been published on our site. A “*” indicates that the artist did not work in Cherbourg itself, instead worked in nearby places.

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