# Richard Houston artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/richard-houston/
Profile generated: 2026-05-30T04:49:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Death date: 1775-08-04
- Nationality: Irish, British
- Movements: 18th-century British mezzotint printmaking
- Common media: mezzotint engraving, etching, painting, miniature painting

## About Richard Houston

Richard Houston (c. 1721–1775) was an Irish mezzotint engraver, etcher, and painter who spent most of his career in London. Born in Dublin, Houston became one of the notable practitioners of mezzotint printmaking in mid-18th-century Britain, producing portrait engravings after paintings by leading artists of the day, including Joshua Reynolds. He also worked as an etcher, painter, and miniaturist. His prints circulated widely and helped satisfy the Georgian-era demand for affordable reproductions of fashionable portraits. Houston died in London on 4 August 1775. His work is documented in the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie (RKD), the Getty Union List of Artist Names, and major library authority files.

## Common works and media

Houston's most commonly encountered works at auction are mezzotint portrait engravings, typically reproduced after paintings by fashionable 18th-century British portraitists. He also produced etchings and is recorded as a painter and miniaturist, though paintings are less frequently seen on the market than his prints. Subjects include aristocratic and literary figures of the Georgian era. Works are generally inscribed with the engraver's name and the original painter's name.

## Market and appraisal context

Richard Houston's mezzotint portraits appear regularly at auction, with over 200 tracked lots. Value depends heavily on the subject portrayed, whether the print reproduces a painting by a sought-after artist such as Reynolds, the quality of the impression, plate condition, and provenance. Early strikes in good condition command more than later, worn impressions. Collectors should also consider whether a work is a painting, miniature, or print, as Houston worked across these media. Appraisals should reference comparable auction records and, where possible, catalogue entries from the British Museum or RKD.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research from library authority files and museum databases with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots. For Richard Houston, identity data is sourced from Wikidata, VIAF, the Getty ULAN, and the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History. Market observations draw on the 207 auction lots tracked in the Appraisily database.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2540800
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Houston
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500013630
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/71666359/
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/39994
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr2003012224