W. Hewitt K.

William Keesey Hewitt (1817–1893) was an American artist, lithographer, and illustrator best known for his collaborations with Nathaniel Currier and the firm later known as Currier & Ives. Born in Pennsylvania, Hewitt produced dramatic and skillfully composed scenes that captured major events, maritime disasters, and moments of American life in the mid-19th century.

Among his best-known works is Awful Conflagration of the Steamboat Lexington, one of Currier’s most widely circulated prints. Hewitt’s drawings were often translated into lithographs that balanced accuracy with visual impact, appealing to a broad public audience. His work reflects the early era of popular American printmaking, where art and journalism met in the lithographic studio.