John Hodges Benwell (1764-1785) was an English genre painter.[1]
He was born at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire where his father was under-steward to George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough. He was a pupil of an obscure portrait painter named Sanders, who was resident in Great Russell Street in Bloomsbury, London, but also studied in the schools of the Royal Academy, and gained a silver medal in 1782. He afterwards for a time taught drawing at Bath, and likewise executed a few small oval drawings in watercolours, which he combined effectively with crayons in a manner peculiar to himself; but his works have suffered much from the ravages of time.[1]
He returned to London and exhibited a classical subject at the Royal Academy in 1784, but died prematurely of consumption in 1785, and was buried in Old St. Pancras churchyard.[1]
Several of his works are well known by engravings from them. Among these are two scenes from "Auld Robin Gray" the "Children in the Wood", engraved by William Sharp, "A St. Giles's Beauty'[2] and "A St. James's Beauty", engraved by Bartolozzi.[1]