Richard Pettigrew Leitch

Richard Pettigrew Leitch (1827-1882?) was a Scottish artist, born 11th October 1927 to William Leighton Leitch (1804-1883), an artist, and Susannah Leitch, nee Smyllie. He was the oldest of at least five children. By 1841 the family had moved down to London and were living in Mornington Place, St. Pancras. William Leitch had been the Vice President of the Institute of Painters in Watercolours before his death.

Richard was a landscape and water-colour painter and a good draughtsman on wood. He exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1844 and 1860. 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. 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.

Richard married Eliza Susan North (b.1831) in 1851 and they had at least two children, Annie (b.1858) and Douglas (b.1866).

Leitch died in 1882, his wife having died a few months before him.

Please note, other sites have Richard Leitch as Richard Principal Leitch - I'm not quite sure where this comes from. I have corroborated his full name with family history records as Richard Pettigrew Leitch, although the middle name appears to have several spelling variations. I cannot confirm his death date as 1882, this has been taken from other art sites.