On the Quay, Inverary

John White Abbott was a surgeon and apothecary, who came from a wealthy family that owned many estates in Devon. He studied under the artist Francis Towne in Exeter and also acted as Towne’s patron.
His work was based on local subjects, but he also made sketching tours to the Lake District and Scotland in 1791.
He adopted Frances Towne’s use of pen outlines, which he used alongside monochrome and colour washes. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy between 1795 and 1805 and had a series of etchings made of his work. His work was better known than that of his teacher Francis Towne in his lifetime.