John Berney Crome

John Berney (or Barney) Crome (1 December 1794 – 15 September 1842) was an English landscape and marine painter associated with the Norwich School of painters. He is sometimes known by the nickname 'Young Crome' to distinguish him from his father John, known as 'Old Crome'.

Early life

John Berney Crome was born in Norwich, Norfolk, on 8 December 1794, and christened on 14 December at St George's Church, Colegate, Norwich. He was the eldest of the seven surviving children of John Crome (1768–1821), painter, and his wife, Phoebe Berney (also known as Phoebe Barney). His father was a distinguished landscape artist and a founder of the Norwich Society of Artists.

Realising his own educational deficiency, he determined his son should have a good education, and John Berney Crome attended Norwich School – the Grammar School - until he was eighteen. He was educated when Dr. Samuel Forster and the Rev. Edward Valpy were headmasters at the school. Crome's paintings can bear a strong resemblance to those of his father, and also of fellow Norwich School artist George Vincent, and their works have at times been confused with each others.

Between 1811 and 1843 he exhibited seven works at the Royal Academy, thirty-five at the British Institution, and fifty-five at the Society of British Artists. Many of his works were exhibited at the Edinburgh Society of Artists and the Society of British Artists. Norfolk Museums has a significant collection of his work, most housed in the Castle Museum, and his paintings are also currently kept by the Tate Gallery, the Yale Centre for British Art, the UK Government Art Collection, the Sheffield Museums, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Oxford Town Hall, the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, and the English Heritage Collection, Kenwood.

While John Berney Crome’s paintings have never reached the status associated with the great English landscape artists, some have fetched almost $10,000, and in 2018 a relatively small (perhaps 37 cm by 32 cm) oil on canvas painting of a shoreline landscape marine scene was offered for sale through Madrigallery in the USA for $35,000.