The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 24, 2024
Mrs. John R. Johnston
before 1857
(American, 1820–1872)
Image: 18.8 x 15.1 cm (7 3/8 x 5 15/16 in.); Paper: 18.8 x 16.7 cm (7 3/8 x 6 9/16 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 2002.38
Location: not on view
Description
Active in the worlds of theather and music, Johnston was also a distinguished portrait painter, a remarkable photographer, and one of the supreme photo colorists. By the mid-1850s, he resided in Baltimore where he associated with Jesse H. Whitefurst, who was better known than Matthew Brady and one of the most important studio operators at that time. This portrait is a tour-de-force of personal expression, both on the part of the sitter and the artist. In the angled three-quarter-length pose, Mrs. Johnston, with head tilted, gazes directly toward the camera's lens. For the period, this portrait was extraordinarily spontaneous and informal, personal and sensual. Adding to the photograph's distinction, Johnston printed his wet collodion negative on salted paper, a rarity in early American photography.- Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24-September 16, 2007); Frick Art and Historical Center, Pittsburgh, PA (October 3, 2009-January 3, 2010).Charles Isaacs and Carol Nigro Collection of American Photography. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 26-September 10, 2003).
- {{cite web|title=Mrs. John R. Johnston|url=false|author=John R. Johnston|year=before 1857|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2002.38