The lives of Johnson and his wife are chronicled here through portraits--Johnson from the ages of six to at least sixty-six and Ida from child to mother to matron. There is also an oversized image of a drawing room in what was likely the couple's first home at 426 South Broad Street. With paintings covering much of the walls, the photograph illustrates Johnson already acquiring art at a vigorous pace.

A local studio, Haesler, took most of the portraits of Johnson, who by then was sporting a bristling white moustache. The portrait taken by Annette Field, a photographer active in Switzerland in the early twentieth century, may be several years later than the previously assigned date of circa 1904. During processing, it was determined that the portrait dates closer to 1909. This date was based on the observation that Johnson appears older than he does in the Haesler photographs taken in 1907, and that he was in St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1909. A letter dated that summer from Johnson to Bernard Berenson was written on stationery from a hotel in that Swiss town.

The portraits of Ida are contained in a photograph album that her second child, Edward Morrell, gave to his cousin, Mary de V. Powel Hodge, in 1909. Edward's cover letter to his cousin and an outline of his family lineage are also included. As noted on the front page of the album, the portraits are of "Ida Powel Johnson." An additional note to the same page, written in a different hand, identifies the sitter in the last four photographs as Mary, the recipient of the album. That may be incorrect as one of the portraits was reproduced in Winkelman's biography of Johnson and identified as his wife. The last portrait in the album also supports an assumption that the woman is Ida. It shows an elegantly dressed woman standing near an easel that supports a painting of a landscape--a pose well-suited for the wife of a renown collector of art. (The landscape could not be identified during processing.)

For additional images related to Johnson's life; namely, a family cradle, gravesite and residences, see the "Johnson" files included in the "1973-1992" subseries of the "Subjects" series.

These seven volumes of photographs illustrate a few of Johnson's earliest travels to Europe. Their composition makes evident that even when sightseeing Johnson could be nothing less than methodical. Comprised of what no doubt are professionally-taken images affixed to oversized pages that are bound between embossed leather covers, Johnson's photographic mementos are as grand as his journeys. In the set presumed to be the earliest, entitled "A Summer Trip," Johnson included an inscription in each of the three volumes that reveals his motive in assembling the picture books, which in turn adds an endearing charm to his efforts. The inscription, clearly in Johnson's hand, is addressed to his then bride of three years, and reads: "Ida P. Johnson/from her husband/in remembrance of a most happy summer." He dates his gift "Xmas 1878." Measuring either 6"x8" or 4"x6", most of the images are scenic views of European mountains, lakes and villages or cityscapes of cathedrals, palaces, museums, and opera houses, as well as architectural details of each. Under each image is a brief caption written by hand in a style that resembles Johnson's (particularly the Norway volume)--albeit more legible than his usual handwriting. Each image is also numbered sequentially throughout the multiple volume sets. For the 1878 trip, Johnson compiled 504 images. If he in fact did write each caption, it would be all the more remarkable a task considering the demanding schedule of his legal practice.

Less in number, yet notable, are the photographic reproductions of paintings included in these pictorial travelogues. Although Johnson did not identify the museums or estates housing the objects, that information can be inferred by the placement of the images following those of a particular city. Johnson's captions also document attributions and titles that in several cases have been revised since the last quarter of the nineteenth century. More than a decade later, Johnson published his thoughts on some of Europe's artists and art collections. A photocopy of the book is in the "Other subjects" series.

Based on the arrangement of the photographs, Johnson and his wife began their 1878 trip in Le Havre, France. From there, they traveled to Paris, Versailles, various villages and cities in Switzerland; then on to northern Italy, Austria and Germany; and at some point toward the end of the trip, Brussels (Belgium). Along the way, the Johnsons viewed art collections from the Louvre in Paris, Munich's Alte Pinakothek, the Wiertz Gallery in Brussels and the Old Masters' Picture Gallery in Dresden (Gemäldegalerie alte Meister; now part of the Dresden State Art Collections). Among the paintings Johnson included from Dresden was "Venus with Musician." At that time it was attributed to Titian. It has been lost since 1939. Images from the Palace of Versailles include Marie Antoinette's bed and Vincenzo Vela's marble depiction of "The Last Days of Napoleon," which is now housed at the Musée National du Château de Malmaison.

Assuming the three volumes entitled "Three Years Later" were intended as a follow up to the 1878 trip, the Johnsons returned to Europe in 1881. Images begin with seaside views of Brighton on England's southeastern coast, followed by various villages, spas and cities in Switzerland and Germany, on to the Netherlands and Brussel, and end in England with images of Shakespeare's home and Stoneleigh Park for a total of 524 photographs. The Johnsons also visited Prague, where they saw the Radetzky Memorial, which has since been transferred from its outdoor location to the National Museum. In 1881, the city was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. On this trip, Johnson returned to the Old Masters' Picture Gallery in Dresden, and devoted twenty pages of the second volume to a number of its paintings. Among the works of art from the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin reproduced in Johnson's picture books are panels depicting the Annunciation from the Ghent Altarpiece. Johnson also included images of paintings from Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, Haarlem's Frans Hals Museum and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Unlike the 1878 trip, Johnson's itinerary in 1881 included a number of stops throughout England, most of which are documented in the third volume. Among the sites visited were Windsor Castle and its royal collection and the National Gallery of Art in London. Johnson commemorated the latter with images of more than fifty paintings.

The single volume entitled "A Summer in Norway" is undated. According to the obituary of Johnson that appeared in the New York Times, he visited Norway a few years before his death in 1917. However, that the 195 primarily scenic images are as carefully arranged and captioned as the earlier volumes, it is likely that he prepared this volume for his wife. Therefore, this trip was likely taken before 1908, the year Ida died. The volume begins and ends with English settings from the Isle of Wight and district of Devon, respectively. Christiania (later renamed Oslo) and Bergen are among the Norwegian sites documented, and Stockholm, Sweden is the final Scandinavian stop.

Like souvenir postcards, the photographs in these seven volumes would have been available for Johnson to purchase en route. The series numbers and captions printed on many of the images confirm their commercial availability. On approximately half of the images, photographers also are identified; their names printed on a bottom border or affixed by dry stamp (embossed). Of those identified, most carry the stamp of "Frith's Series," referring to the business founded in 1859 by Francis Frith, a British photographer and publisher of scenic views throughout Europe, Egypt and the Middle East. As Frith hired photographers or purchased the works of others, it is possible that these images are not his own. In Johnson's collection, Frith's firm provided most of the photographs of France, (1878, Vol. 1), and of Matterhorn and Switzerland (1881 Vol. 1), as well as a few in the Italian areas of Lecco and Bellagio (1878, Vol. 2). Other photographers identified are: Giacomo Brogi (Milan and Como, 1878, Vol. 2); Fotografia Nessi Como (1878, Vol. 2); Oscar Kramer (1878, Vol. 2, as publisher; and apparently as photographer in 1878, Vol. 3. All Austrian scenes); A. F. Czihak (Austria, 1878, Vol. 3); Atelier Frankenstein & Co. (1878, Vol. 3); and Joh. (Johann) Hahn (city and interior church views in Nuremburg, 1881, Vol. 1). The studios that photographed some of the paintings Johnson included in his photo albums are: Piloty & Loehle (Alte Pinakothek, Munich, 1878, Vol. 3); Société Royale Belge de Photographie (Wiertz Gallery, Brussels, 1878, Vol. 3); and Photographische Gesellschaft, Berlin (Old Masters Picture Gallery, Dresden and Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, 1881, Vol. 2). The dry stamps to images 358 and 387 in 1878, Vol. 3, could not be deciphered at time of processing. No photographers are identified on any of the photographs of Norway.

John G. Johnson Papers / IV. Other subjects / f. Writings. Sight-seeing in Berlin and Holland: among Pictures (1892). Photocopy.

This subseries consists of images of objects Johnson owned at one time or retained as reference (perhaps for study purposes or possible purchase). Documenting the former is an oversized volume that holds 42 photographs, most of which appear to be albumen silver prints measuring approximately 9"x11.5". An inscription inside, in a hand that is not Johnson's, reads: "Selections from J.G. Johnson Collection." Additional information is written on paper that once wrapped the volume: "J.G. Johnson/Mounted Photos of Earlier Owned Work." The wrapping and note were most likely prepared much later by Museum library staff. The volume primarily documents Johnson's interest in contemporary European painting, that is, works executed during the 1870s and 1880s, with the last nine images devoted to decorative art pieces. Although none of the paintings are identified, an occasional signature and year can be discerned, which verifies the date range noted above. Some of the artists represented are Jan van Beers, Jean-Baptiste-Edouard Detaille, Alberto Pasini, Gustavo Simoni, Francesco Vinea, and Jean Béraud. A seascape by the Russian-born Ivan Aivazovsky is also included. It appears likely that Johnson later decided to sell most of these acquisitions, as suggested by the "earlier owned work" notation." A number of the artists who can be identified from these prints are also noted in Johnson's receipts from the Philadelphia art dealer Haseltine Galleries. The Haseltine papers are included in the "Correspondence" series. Based on that documentation, Johnson purchased works by these artists in the early 1880s, only to return some of them for credit by the end of the decade. Furthermore, only two paintings reproduced in this volume have been identified as still remaining in the Johnson Collection--Pasini's "Street in Damascus" (Cat. 1057) and van Beers' "Girl with a Parrot" (Inv. 2438). Based on these observations and the albumen format of the photographs (prevalent 1870-1990), this volume probably was compiled between the early 1880s and early 1890s.

According to the labels affixed to the original storage boxes, the remaining images of "old photos" document works of art from the Johnson Collection as well as those not part of the collection. The latter are also identified as coming from Johnson's house. Since the labeling and type of housing are identical, it can be assumed that the images of paintings from the collection also were transferred from the house. All the images are subdivided further by national or regional grouping, such as British, Dutch, etc. Most of the images are photographs; some appear to be engraved reproductions. Images vary in size--from 4"x5" prints to 11.5"x15.5" (including mounting boards). There are several larger boards, which are filed separately as "oversized."

Certain evidence suggests that Johnson compiled a number of these images himself. For example, many of the photographs are albumen prints--a format of the late 19th century. A few are annotated on the verso by Bernard Berenson or Herbert P. Horne, both advisers to Johnson, as well as by R. Langton Douglas, a scholar and dealer from whom Johson purchased several Italian paintings. (Their annotations are noted in the corresponding folder titles.) Others are stamped or mounted on boards identifying art dealers with whom Johnson did business, such as (Galerie) Durand-Ruel. However, there is also evidence suggesting that some images were compiled later by the curators; such as, the notations written in black felt tip pen on mounting boards similar in fashion to those created by Henri Marceau, during his curatorial tenure at the Museum. It is also possible that while Johnson acquired the images, curators made later notations, such as "sold in 1920," written on one of the images of a German painting.

Since many of the images appear to have originated during Johnson's lifetime, they collectively suggest the many works of art for sale that dealers brought to Johnson's attention, and/or Johnson's reliance on such images for purposes of comparison and study. These images also document attributions or titles of paintings that have since been revised by later scholars. An example is a painting of St. Catherine (Cat. 319). Affixed to the verso is a typescript of a 1911 letter from the art historian Max Friedlander to R. Langston Douglas, apparently the owner of the painting at that time. Friedlander identifies the work as Flemish, probably painted at Bruges, circa 1460. It is now attributed to an unknown artist, probably Netherlandish. Other reattributions of nationality are noted parenthetically in the folder titles. At least one attribution was revised by the time these photographs were originally boxed. On the verso of a portrait published by Durand-Ruel, the German painter Holbein [the Elder] is identified as the artist. The reproduction of Cat. 345, however, was filed as Dutch, which reflects its current attribution to an unknown artist active in the northern Netherlands. There is also at least one image indicating alterations to the work of art itself. The reproduction here of the portrait of Andrea Bandini (Cat. 73) shows the sitter with a full head of hair, which is not the case in the portrait's present state. Also of note is the two-dimensional paper replica of the Isenheim Altarpiece, with flaps representing the hinged panels. Perhaps a printer's error, the flanking panels of Saints Sebastian and Anthony are transposed in comparison to the actual piece at the Unterlinden Museum.

Folder titles reflect the original national or regional grouping in which the images were classified. Collection numbers have been added where applicable. The one image filed as part of the Dutch paintings in the Johnson Collection could not be identified as such during processing. It is in the "unidentified" folder. During processing, general subject categories were included in the folder titles to works of art not in the Johnson Collection. Domestic scenes, depicting either peasants or the wealthy, indoors or out, are filed here as "Interiors and outdoor genre." "Landscapes" consist of rural and city scenes, many of which include figures. Views with "waterways" (including frozen ones) are filed separately. "Portraits" are of individual sitters and groups. Separated from other religious depictions are those with the "Madonna and Child." These include portraits of the two with donors and saints, as well as depictions of the New Testament stories of the Nativity and Presentation at the Temple. The one painting that appears to depict a parable (of the blind leading the blind) is included in the French "Mythological and Allegorical" folder.

Of the images stamped with a photographer's name, most are the work of Braun, Clément & Cio. (Paris), Lawrence X. Champeau (New York, NY), F[ratelli]. D'Alessandri (Rome), Haeseler Photographic Studios (Philadelphia), J. Laurent & Co. (Madrid, for Prado), Thomas E. Marr (Boston), and T. Sardnal (Paris, for Durand-Ruel). Many (if not all) of the works of art photographed by Thomas E. Marr (and later by Thomas E. Marr & Son) belong to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The photographs are date-stamped between 1903 and 1911, and therefore coincide with the museum's earliest years, when it was open to the public on a limited basis since it also served as Mrs. Gardner's palatial home. Marr (b. 1849) was also a well-known society photographer. Both Mrs. Gardner and her residence were among his subjects. Like Johnson, Isabella Stewart Gardner (1840-1924) consulted with Bernard Berenson in her acquisitions of art.

John G. Johnson Papers / I. Correspondence / f. Haseltine Galleries. Correspondence and receipts.