William H. Johnson papers, 1922-1972, bulk 1926-1956

Object Details

Place of publication, production, or execution

United States

Physical Description

1.5 Linear feet

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 5 series: Series 1: Biographical Material, 1922-1967 (Box 1, 3; 0.2 linear feet) Series 2: Printed Material, 1928-1971 (Box 1-3; 0.3 linear feet) Series 3: Photographs, circa 1923-1940s (Box 2-3; 0.2 linear feet) Series 4: Scrapbooks, 1920s-1947 (Box 2-4; 0.4 linear feet) Series 5: Harmon Foundation Research Materials Regarding William H. Johnson, 1950s (Box 2, OV 5; 0.2 linear feet)

Access Note / Rights

The bulk of the collection is digitized. Use of material not digitized requires an appointment.

Summary

The papers of African American painter William H. Johnson date from 1922 to 1971, with the bulk of the material dating from 1926 to 1956, and measure 1.5 linear feet. The collection documents Johnson's career as an artist in New York and in Europe and his marriage to textile artist Holcha Krake through scattered biographical material, including eight letters regarding the sale and exhibition of his work - one from Langston Hughes and two are from Alonzo Aden of the Barnett Aden Gallery. Also found are exhibition catalogs, news clippings, other printed material, and photographs of Johnson, Krake, and their artwork. One scrapbook contains news clippings, letters, and additional photographs. Another scrapbook contains travel postcards. Also found are a few scattered records and research notes compiled by the Harmon Foundation regarding William H. Johnson.

Citation

William H. Johnson papers, 1922-1972, bulk 1926-1956. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Additional Forms

The papers of William H. (William Henry) Johnson in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2010, and total 713 images.

A scrapbook of postcards and photocopies of foreign news clippings has not been scanned.

Funding

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Use Note

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Biography Note

William Henry Johnson (1901-1970) was born in Florence, South Carolina, in 1901. He moved to New York City in 1918, and from 1921 to 1926 he attended the National Academy of Design, studying with Charles Hawthorne, and attending Hawthorne's summer school in Provincetown, Massachusetts. As a student he won many awards for his paintings but failed to win a traveling scholarship to Europe. Hawthorne and others believed there may have been some prejudice in this decision and raised money for Johnson to study abroad. From 1926 to 1929 he lived in Paris and southern France. While in Paris he lived and worked in Whistler's old studio and met African American expatriate painter, Henry Ossawa Tanner. He lived briefly in Harlem, New York, in 1930 and exhibited in the Harmon Foundation's exhibition of work by African American artists in which he won the Gold Award for "Distinguished Achievement among Negroes".

In late 1930 Johnson moved to Kerteminde, Denmark, where he married textile artist Holcha Krake whom he had met in Paris. In 1933 they traveled to Germany, France, and Tunisia, which had a great impact on his work. From 1935 to 1938 they lived in various parts of Norway, and Johnson met artist Edvard Munch.

In 1938 Johnson and his wife moved back to New York City. The next year he briefly joined the WPA Federal Art Project as a painting teacher at the Harlem Community Art Center. Johnson had his first solo exhibition in New York at the Alma Reed Gallery in 1941. After Holcha Krake's death in 1944, Johnson began showing signs of mental illness. He lived briefly in Florence, South Carolina, and in 1946 returned to Denmark. He was hospitalized in Norway in 1947 and was then transferred to the Central Islip State Hospital in New York where he spent the next 23 years, until his death in 1970.

In 1956 the Harmon Foundation acquired over a thousand of Johnson's works that were still among his estate. The foundation ceased operations in 1967.

Language Note

The papers are in English, Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish.

Provenance

The William H. Johnson papers were originally donated to the National Museum of American Art (Smithsonian American Art Museum) by the Harmon Foundation in 1982. The National Museum of American Art subsequently transferred them to the Archives of American Art in 1982 and 1986.

Digitization Note

The papers of William H. (William Henry) Johnson in the Archives of American Art were digitized in 2010. The bulk of the papers have been scanned and total 713 images.

Location Note

Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Data Source

Archives of American Art

Record number

(DSI-AAA_CollID)6889

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209018

AAA_collcode_johnwill

Creator

Johnson, William H. (William Henry), 1901-1970

Subject

Hawthorne, Charles Webster

Johnson, Holcha Krake

Nierendorf, Karl

Hughes, Langston

Aden, Alonzo J.

Halpert, Edith Gregor

Harmon Foundation

Alma Reed Galleries

Barnett-Aden Gallery

Type

Photographs

Scrapbooks

Theme

African American

Lives of artists

Topic

African American artists

Theme

African American

Lives of artists

Record ID

AAADCD_coll_209018

Usage

Usage conditions apply