His parents were Nathaniel and Mary Hone (née Earle) of York, England.

Hone is believed to be the model in his father's painting, "The Piping Boy", aged 9.

[2] Hone exhibited his first work, "Portrait of a Lady", at the Free Society in London in 1775.

He emigrated to the East Indies, where he continued to practice successfully as an artist.

[1] Hone moved to Dublin in 1790, where he was appointed "Engraver of Dies" at the Stamp Office by the Lord Lieutenant, Earl of Westmoreland.