John Webber RA (1751 – 1793)

• Was an English artist.
• Webber was born in London, educated in Bern and studied painting at Paris.
• His father was Abraham Wäber, a Swiss sculptor who had moved to London, and changed his name to Webber before marrying a Mrs Mary Quant.

• Webber served as official artist on James Cook's third voyage of discovery around the Pacific (1776–1780).

• At Adventure Bay in January 1777 he did drawings of "A Man of Van Diemen's Land" and "A Woman of Van Diemen's Land".

• He also did many drawings of scenes in New Zealand and the South Sea islands.

• On this voyage, during which Cook lost his life in a fight in Hawaii.

• Webber became the first European artist to make contact with Hawaii, then called the Sandwich Islands.

• His drawings and paintings were engraved for the British Admiralty's account of the expedition, which was published in 1784.

• Back in England in 1780 Webber exhibited around 50 works at Royal Academy exhibitions between 1784 and 1792.

• He was elected an associate of the Royal Academy in 1785 and R.A. in 1791.

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