Artist Joshua Johnson (c. 1763—c. 1824) was an American painter of African and European ancestry from the Baltimore area, and he’s known for his naïve paintings of prominent Maryland residents. Documents dated from 1782 state that Johnson was the “son of a white man and a black slave woman owned by a William Wheeler, Sr.” His father, George Johnson (also spelled Johnston in some documents) purchased Joshua, age 19, from William Wheeler, a small Baltimore-based farmer. George Johnson acknowledged Joshua as his son, stating that he would agree to free Joshua under the conditions that he either completed an apprenticeship or turned 21, whichever came first. Johnson received his freedom in 1782 and began advertising, identifying himself as a portrait painter and limner as of 1796. Little is known of his later life or death. [Source: Wikipedia]

This is the seventh post in a series of Charlotte Mason picture study resources featuring black artists. I picked this one to go along with a partial term of Prince Demah because we’re studying the 1700s in the upcoming school year (see Black History Books Covering Colonial America and Revolutionary War), and Johnson (sometimes referred to as “Johnston”) began his career within the time period.

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Biographical Resources

• Narrative bio: Six Black Masters of American Art (pages 1-19, see sample below) – My family has really enjoyed this book. It works for the whole family but particularly for older children as a read aloud or if they’re reading it themselves. Scroll down for sample page. The book is out of print and ridiculously expensive (It’s not worth that crazy price!), but it is now available for free viewing on Archive.org: Six Black Masters of American Art. YAY!!!
• Secondary source: A History of African-American Artists: From 1792 to the Present (pages 3-17) – I read this bio to myself as I was researching Johnson because I already owned the book and, quite frankly, I knew absolutely nothing about this artist until very recently. Six Black Masters of American Art is much more engaging and quite thorough, so I won’t read this one to my kids, but I did learn additional information about his life. It’s a good option for older teens or parents wanting to know more.
• If you prefer a shorter biography rather than reading the longer book chapters, you can use this museum exhibit pamphlet Joshua Johnson : Freeman and early American portrait painter or this overview from The National Gallery of Art.

Relevant Videos

• Art in Color: The First Black Artist You Probably Never Heard Of!
• Washington County Museum of Fine Arts: New Perspectives on Joshua Johnson – I’m not going to show this hour-long video to my kids, but I personally learned so much, and I’ll share much of it with them as we study his portraits throughout the term.

Joshua Johnson Picture Study Artist Prints

I couldn’t find an existing set of prints featuring artist Joshua Johnson’s work, so here is the set I prepped for my family: Joshua Johnson Picture Study Prints. I printed mine at the UPS Store on glossy cardstock.

Joshua Johnson Picture Study Lesson Plans 

My plans for this picture study only covers the final 7 weeks of a term because we’re studying another artist, Prince Demah, for the first part of the term. Two extra pictures are included in the prints download above and here are additional picture options if you’d like to extend this study to a full term.

• Week 5: Read biography – Six Black Masters of American Art pp. 1-6 (ending with “was a major slave-trading center”)
• Week 6: Read biography – Six Black Masters of American Art pp. 6-12 (ending with “fastest sailing ship on the seas.”)
• Week 7: Read biography – Six Black Masters of American Art pp. 12-19 (finish chapter)
• Week 8: Family Group (c. 1800)
• Week 9: Sarah Ogden Gustin (c. 1805)
• Week 10: The Westwood Children (c. 1807) – National Gallery of Art
• Week 11: Portrait of an African American Man (1820)

Below is an interview with my family (including my kiddos!) and Paula Bagger, president of the Hingham Historical Society, as we discuss Joshua Johnson and Prince Demah.

If you’re able to locate specific information on these Joshua Johnson portraits, please post in the comments so we can all share in what you’ve found.

You can find me on Instagram at @heritagemomblog. Hope to see you there!