Harriet Carr was the second daughter and fourth child of Ralph Carr and his wife, Isabella (nee Byne). Ralph Carr (1711-1806) was a successful businessman with interests in an alum works, banking, coalmining, glassmaking, insurance, leadmining, linen manufacture, property, trading to Europe and America and whaling. Ralph was a member of the company of guild of Merchant Adventurers of Newcastle upon Tyne. The family home was Dunston Hill, near Gateshead, then in County Durham. They also owned a townhouse in Charlotte Square, Newcastle, and in 1784 purchased the Hedgeley estate in Northumberland.  Letters amongst the Carr-Ellison family papers suggest that Harriet and her siblings enjoyed a loving and creative childhood. As was the convention of the time, Harriet’s brothers John and Ralph were educated at boarding school whilst Harriet and her older sister Annabella were privately educated at home. It has been suggested by one of Harriet’s descendants that she received some formal training in art before her marriage from John “Warwick” Smith (1749-1831), a watercolour landscape artist and illustrator. 

John Carr (1764-1817), elder brother of Harriet, had undertaken a European tour between 1788-1790. In the summer of 1791 John and Harriet set off on their own tour. The plan has met with initial parental opposition and appears to be have been given parental approval because it was felt that the tour would be beneficial to Harriet’s health – she had a cough, thought to be tuberculosis. Some of the resistance was around fears of the political situation in Europe and the potential dangers to travellers. John and Harriet’s ultimate destination was Italy taking the recognised tourist route through France and Switzerland. Brother and sister spent almost six months in Rome with short excursions to Bologna, Florence, Naples and Turin. It has been their intention to leave for England in early 1792 but the outbreak of the Franco-Austrian War prevented this. They returned to Florence in May 1792 staying there until November 1793. During this stay Harriet regularly visited the Uffizi to copy paintings and sculptures. Harriet undertook landscape and portrait painting throughout her stay in Italy with much of her work being undertaken in Florence. Most of the portrait subjects were British travellers, many of them women, The most notable being Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (1757-1806) and Lady Emma Hamilton (1765-1815), mistress of Lord Nelson. In December 1793 John and Harriet made a final visit to Rome before departing for England and returning home in the summer of 1794.  

In 1799 Harriet Carr married Colonel (later General) Robert Cheney of the Grenadier Guards. The couple settled at Badger Hall, near Bridgnorth, Shropshire. They had five children. After her husband’s death in 1820 Harriet spent much time in Italy. Harriet died in 1848. Although an amateur artist, Harriet had a lifelong interest in art. She painted and collected throughout her adult life.