Constellation Similarity Assertions

Robert Yarnall Richie was born on July 20, 1908 to Quaker parents, Elisha Roberts Richie and Anna Sweltser Wood in Moorestown, New Jersey. Photography was a hobby for Richie when he was a boy. He developed an interest in flying and got his pilot’s license in 1928. Although he knew little about it, he started his professional career in 1932 at the age of 23 with aerial photography, which was at the time something of a novelty. Initially, pay was relatively low for his photographs, but Richie’s work soon became in demand, and by 1938, he was called, "…one of the foremost industrial photographers in the world."

From the beginning, Richie was creative in his approach to business. During the early 1930s, many of the wealthy spent winters at their Palm Beach, Florida estates and summers at their million dollar mansions in Newport, Rhode Island. Richie spoke to the editor of Town & Country magazine about commissioning a piece called the "Landed Gentry from the Air." It was a good opportunity for the enterprising young photographer to get the start he was looking for.

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