Richard Kearton

Born in Thwaite in Swaledale, Yorkshire, Richard Kearton was an English naturalist, writer, and early wildlife photographer. He became especially well known through his partnership with his younger brother Cherry Kearton, combining Richard’s writing and field knowledge with Cherry’s camera work.

The brothers were among the earliest people to photograph animals in the wild in a systematic way. Their book With Nature and a Camera is widely noted as the first natural history book illustrated entirely with photographs taken from life, and their work helped popularize a more direct, observant approach to studying birds and other wildlife.

Kearton also worked in publishing and produced many nature books and lectures for a broad audience. Remembered as a key popularizer of natural history, he played an important part in bringing wildlife observation and photography to readers at the turn of the twentieth century.