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John R. Johnston with Painting
About the Artwork
This compelling self-portrait and the adjacent candid picture of his wife are the most significant and moving images in Johnston's personal photography album containing work by him and other distinguished photographers. For this appealing composition, he seated himself in a plainly appointed studio in front of one of his painted portraits placed on the floor. The position of the chair and his body add vitality to the image. Clearly a master of lighting, Johnson carefully controlled the natural illumination so that his face and hands were in brilliant contrast to his dark clothes and the dimly lit room. In this self-portrait, he successfully expressed both the sitter's strength of personality and character.
Exhibition history
Charles Isaacs and Carol Nigro Collection of American Photography. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 26-September 10, 2003). 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). Cheating Death: Portrait Photography’s First Half Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 22, 2016-February 5, 2017).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- John R. Johnston (American, 1820–1872)
- Date
- late 1850s
- Medium
- salted paper print from wet collodion negative
- Dimensions
- Image: 20 x 14.8 cm (7 7/8 x 5 13/16 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.)
- Type
- Photograph
- Classification
- Photograph
- Department
- Photography
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Accession no.
- 2002.39
More by John R. Johnston in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00012975
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