Richard E. Miller was a native of St. Louis, Missouri, where he first studied at the local School of Fine Arts and served as a staff illustrator for the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
He continued his studies at the Académie Julian from 1898-1901 and remained a resident of France until the outbreak of the Great War in 1914 prompted his return to America.
One of the many Americans who worked at Giverny during these years, he became a familiar of Frederick Frieseke🎨 and together they often met at Monet's home to paint, critique and socialize.