Joshua Johnson

Life

It was not until 1939 that the identity of the painter of elite late 18th- and early 19th-century Baltimoreans was discovered by art historian and genealogist J. Hall Pleasants, who believed that a man named Joshua Johnson painted a number of portraits, including thirteen attributed works. Pleasants attempted to put the puzzle of Johnson's life together; however, questions on Johnson's race, life dates, and even his last name (Johnson or Johnston) remained up until the mid-1990s, when the Maryland Historical Society released newly-found manuscripts regarding Johnson's life.