Crome, John (1768-1821) , English painter and etcher, born in Norwich, Norfolk. He is often called Old Crome to distinguish him from his son, John Bernay Crome, known as Young Crome, who was also a painter. Influenced by such Dutch masters as Meindert Hobbema, Old Crome excelled in faithful transcriptions of Norfolk scenery characterized by unique atmospheric effects. In 1803 he and his followers formed the Norfolk Society, of which he became president in 1808. The society was the nucleus of the Norwich school of landscape painting. Among Crome's works are View of Mousehold Heath (1815?, Victoria and Albert Museum, London), Moonrise on the Marshes of the Yare (1808-1810, National Gallery, London), and Poringland Oak (1817-1821, Tate Gallery, London). A collection of his etchings was published under the title Norfolk Picturesque Scenery (1834).