John White Abbott (1763–1851) was born in Exeter, Devon, where he practiced as an apothecary and surgeon. A keen amateur artist, he socialised in the same genteel Exeter circles inhabited by Francis Towne (1739 or 1740–1816), who was a close friend of Abbott's uncle, James White. Abbott took lessons from Towne from a young age and became an important friend and patron of Towne. He closely emulated Towne's style, producing topographical drawings with precise ink outlines and flat and clear washes of colour.

The majority of Abbott's subjects were local to his native Devon. In 1791 he made his only extended journey outside the West Country, a sketching tour of Scotland, the Lake District, Lancashire, Derbyshire and Warwickshire, and in 1797 he toured Monmouthshire.

Between 1793 and 1812, Abbott exhibited intermittently at the Royal Academy, as an honorary exhibitor, and his oils were more highly praised than those of Towne. But it is said that he never sold a picture, all works remaining in the family and Abbott living the life of a gentleman amateur. Abbott was also a connoisseur of Old Master prints and this study informed the composition and figures that he used in his landscapes.

In 1825 Abbott inherited Fordland, a Devon estate, from his uncle James White. From this time on he was able to devote himself solely to drawing. In 1827 he again visited Monmouthshire, and also Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. In 1831 he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Devonshire.

His work can be found in numerous public collections, including the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Ashmolean Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, and the National Gallery of Scotland.