Richard Houston (1721-1775) was a mezzotint engraver born in Dublin. As a young man he was apprenticed to engraver and publisher John Brooks and studied under Robert West at the Dublin Society Schools. In 1746 he moved to London, initially living near Fleet Street before establishing himself in Covent Garden. He published prints after contemporary portraits and works by Rembrandt. He also produced a number of portraits of racehorses. He would later be an inmate at Fleet Prison, for debts owed to publisher Robert Sayer. He was released in 1760, on the accession of George III.
