John Norris Hewett (c. 1745 – 1790), born Fisher, was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

art collector and amateur artist. The date and location of Hewett's birth is unknown; it has been posited that she was a native of

Penicuik Penicuik ( ; sco, Penicuik; gd, Peighinn na Cuthaig) is a town and former burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. It lies on the A701 midway between Edinburgh and Peebles, east of the Pentland Hills. Na ...

. Also unknown is the origin of her unusual forename, though it has been suggested that it was chosen to placate her grandfather, Admiral John Norris, after her mother remarried against his wishes. Her father was Robert Fisher of Sandieford, a member of the Royal Company of Scottish Archers. She married three times. In 1764 she married Captain John Gordon of the 50th Foot of Ireland, who later divorced her for adultery. In 1773 she married Admiral

John Storr Rear Admiral John Storr (18 August 1709 – 10 January 1783), was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the Seven Years' War, reaching the rank of Rear admiral of the Red. Early life Storr was born on 18 August 1709 at Humbleton, East ...

, acquiring from him a house in

Bedford Square Bedford Square is a garden square in the Bloomsbury district of the Borough of Camden in London, England. History Built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, the square has had many distinguished residents, inclu ...

and a life interest in a number of Yorkshire estates. Soon after his death she married once again; her third husband was John Hewett, né Thornhaugh, MP and Sheriff of Nottinghamshire. Norris Hewett died at home in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, her age given variously as 45 and 47 in contemporary sources. Thanks to an ambiguity in her will, her heirs took up litigation against one another, settling it in 1791. Two posthumous sales of her art collection were held by

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

in 1792. Among the works available were pieces by

Hubert Robert Hubert Robert (22 May 1733 – 15 April 1808) was a French painter in the school of Romanticism, noted especially for his landscape paintings and capricci, or semi-fictitious picturesque depictions of ruins in Italy and of France.Jean de Cayeux. ...

, John Russell, and Jean Christophe Dietsch, as well as a large number of pieces by her own hand. These were largely copies, after such painters as

Angelika Kauffmann Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann ( ; 30 October 1741 – 5 November 1807), usually known in English as Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Remembered primarily as a history painter, K ...

, John Reynolds,

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious ...

William Peters William, Willie, Willy, or Bill Peters may refer to: Arts and entertainment * William Peters (painter) (1742–1814), British painter * William Theodore Peters (1862–1904), American poet and actor *William Wesley Peters (1912–1991), American ar ...

, and Russell. Their medium is unknown, though it is suspected many may have been

pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

s. None are known to survive, save potentially one, a copy of ''The Resurrection of a Pious Family'' by Peters, which turned up at auction in 2015 with no attribution.

References

1740s births Year of birth uncertain 1790 deaths English art collectors Women collectors English women painters 18th-century English painters 18th-century English women artists {{England-painter-stub