His parents were descended from wealthy New Orleans families and kept an apartment in Paris, where Richard Jr was born.

However, when his parents separated, Richard and his brothers, Charles and Eduoard, went to live in Paris with their mother.

Later, Richard studied with Horace Vernet, Antoine Auguste Ernest Herbert and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres who recommended him to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

[2] After completing his studies, he travelled to Morocco, Algiers and other destinations in the Middle East where he kept a sketchbook (now in the New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana) and developed an interest in Oriental subject matter.

Clague's home on Bayou Street, near the Spanish Fort, was a popular retreat for artists.