John Wilson Carmichael was a painter of marine and landscapes subjects in both oil and watercolours, who was born in Newcastle and later moved to London until he retired and moved to Scarborough.
He exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1835 and 1859, he also exhibited at the British Institution and Suffolk Street but he mainly exhibited at the Northern Academy of Arts in Blackett Street Newcastle which was next door to his studio. The centenary exhibition of Carmichael's work at the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle in 1968 was the most comprehensive devoted to him. The catalogue contains a detailed account of his career.
Carmichael travelled in Holland, Italy and also in the Baltic. He recorded the Crimean War for the Illustrated London News, he coloured the figures and buildings in many of John Dobson's architectural drawings.
Works by Carmichael can be found at the Greenwich, Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland Art Galleries.
His studio sale was held at Christie's in November 1870.
