author
Charles R. (Charles Russell) Richards
1865–1936
A pioneer in industrial arts education, this MIT-trained educator helped shape how art and craftsmanship were taught in American schools and museums in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His books and reports focused on bringing design, industry, and practical education closer together.
1 Audiobook
The Mentor: Furniture and its Makers, Vol. 1, Num. 30, Serial No. 30
by Charles R. (Charles Russell) Richards
About the author
Born in Boston on June 30, 1865, Charles Russell Richards was an American educator and writer best known for his work in manual training, industrial art, and vocational education. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1885 and went on to hold influential teaching and leadership roles, including work at Pratt Institute and Teachers College, Columbia University.
Richards wrote extensively about the relationship between art, industry, and education. His published works include Art in Industry, The Industrial Museum, and studies of industrial work in public schools. His writing reflects a belief that good design and skilled handwork belonged at the center of modern education, not at its edges.
He died on February 21, 1936. Although he is not widely known today, his career sits at an interesting crossroads of American education reform, museum thinking, and the early development of industrial arts as a field.