Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Tompson, Richard
TOMPSON, RICHARD (d. 1693?), printseller, carried on business in London during the reign of Charles II, and was associated with Alexander Browne [q. v.] in the publication of the latter's ‘Ars Pictoria.’ Like Browne he issued a series of mezzotint portraits of royal and other notable persons of his time, none of which bear the engraver's name. It has been conjectured that these were scraped by Tompson himself, but it is clear that more than one hand was employed upon them; some are entirely in the manner of Paul van Somer [q. v.], while others much resemble that of G. Valck and J. Vandervaart. Tompson is stated to have died in 1693. There is a mezzotint portrait of him engraved by F. Place from a picture by G. Zoest, and this has been copied by W. Bond as an illustration to Walpole's ‘Anecdotes of Painting.’
[J. Chaloner Smith's British Mezzotinto Portraits; Walpole's Anecdotes (Dallaway and Wornum); Redgrave's Dict. of Artists.]