John Cranch (February 2, 1807 – January 12, 1891) was an American painter and print collector. Cranch was born in Washington, D.C., the third son of judge William Cranch; his younger brother was the poet and painter Christopher Pearse Cranch, and his elder brother was also an artist. Like Christopher, he was a graduate of Columbian College; at his commencement in 1826 he read a poem of his own composition, "Cranch", suggesting that he had already determined on his future career. William Dunlap claimed that he studied with Chester Harding, Charles Bird King, and Thomas Sully, though he provided no details; this would be unsurprising, however, as all three artists had been active in Washington before 1829, in which year Cranch first advertised his services as a portraitist.