Richard J. Arnold

Richard J. Arnold (June 28, 1856 – May 19, 1929), also known as R. J. Arnold, was an English American 19th-century pioneer of early California photography. He is known for his large-format glass-plate photography and as the designated photographer for the Hotel Del Monte in Monterey, California. He created one of the earliest and largest portrait collections of the early Latino community in California.

Early life R. J. Arnold was born on June 28, 1856, in England. At age 16, he came to New York and eventually settled on California's Central Coast. In July 1896 Arnold's Photograph Gallery on Higuera Street was destroyed in a fire. Arnold had other studios in Santa Barbara and Alameda. His works covered early celebrities. Others include Queen Liliʻuokalani of the Hawaiian Islands.

In 2022 and 2023, the Paso Robles City Library exhibited a selection from the Paso Robles Historical Society's collection of Arnold, in Photographic Look into Our Past.

Death and legacy Arnold died at the Monterey County hospital on May 19, 1929.