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'''Thomas Johnston''' (1708–1767) was an American [[engraver]], [[japanner]], [[heraldic]] painter, and [[Pipe organ| |
'''Thomas Johnston''' (1708–1767) was an American [[engraver]], [[japanner]], [[heraldic]] painter, and [[Pipe organ|church organ]] builder. He is noted for making the first historical print engraved in America and being the first person who manufactured [[church organ]]s as a regular business in America. |
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== Early life == |
== Early life == |
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[[File:Old North church organ.jpg|thumb|upright 0.70|Old North Church organ]] |
[[File:Old North church organ.jpg|thumb|upright 0.70|Old North Church organ]] |
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Johnston was born in 1708 in [[Boston, Massachusetts]].{{sfn|Stauffer|1907|p=144}} He was an engraver, an ornamental painter, a japanner, a coats of arms painter, a book publisher and a builder of organs.{{sfn|Reps|1971|p=83}} He decorated clocks and furniture with embossed or raised work |
Johnston was born in 1708 in [[Boston, Massachusetts]].{{sfn|Stauffer|1907|p=144}} He was an engraver, an ornamental painter, a japanner, a coats of arms painter, a book publisher, and a builder of organs.{{sfn|Reps|1971|p=83}} He decorated clocks and furniture with embossed or raised work depicting Chinese images. He was a skillful engraver and [[heraldic]] painter. He sold London-style looking glasses of all sorts and sizes in 1732 as a japanner at the Golden Lyon on [[North Street (Boston)|Ann Street]], near [[Dock Square (Boston)|Dock Square]] in downtown Boston.{{sfn|Dunlap|1918|p=312}} |
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== Mid |
== Mid-life and career == |
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Johnston lived in |
Johnston lived in a house on the west side of Brattle Square that he purchased in 1742.{{sfn|Garraty|1999|p=165}} The house was across the street from the tower of the [[Brattle Street Church]], of which Johnston became a member on June 5, 1726. At the church, he was involved with various aspects of [[liturgical music]].{{sfn|Dunlap|1918|p=312}} His workshop, where he did painting, engraving, and organ construction, was in the backyard of his home.{{sfn|Williams|1915|p=177}} He advertised himself as an engraver, painter, organ maker, and furniture merchant.<ref name=JapannedMaking>{{cite news |date= May 7, 1998 |title= Japanned Furniture: An 18th Century Faux Finish |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50275004/ |newspaper= The News Journal |page= 48 |location= Wilmington, Delaware |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref> |
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He rented a small shop |
He rented a small shop near the Town Dock, where he sold his paintings as well as engravings made with copper plates. He is noted for his engravings of views of Boston and Loutsburg{{clarify|reason=What is Loutsburg? Is this a typo for Louisburg? Do you mean [[Louisburg Square]]? Fort Louisbourgh?}} and plates of a [[heraldic]] character;{{cn}} in his inventory at his death, in 1767, was noted a book of heraldry valued at 48 shillings.{{cn}} |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | Johnston was the first person reported to have manufactured church organs as a regular business in [[Thirteen Colonies|Colonial America]].{{sfn|Owen|1979|p=23}} The [[Old North Church]] in Boston had an imported organ obtained originally by William Claggett in 1736.{{sfn|Ogasapian|2007|p=59}} The church made an agreement with Johnston in 1752 to purchase an American organ that would be as loud as that of Boston's [[Trinity Church (Boston)|Trinity Church]], to replace Claggett's worn-out organ.{{sfn|Williams|1915|p=177}} Johnston constructed the organ in 1758–1759.{{sfn|Garraty|1999|p=165}}<ref name=OHS>{{cite web |url= https://pipeorgandatabase.org/OrganDetails.php?OrganID=41284 |title= The OHS Pipe Organ Database |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 2016|website= OHS Database ID 41284 |publisher=The Organ Historical Society |access-date=January 14, 2018 |quote=}}</ref> This organ made by Johnston was used until 1886.{{sfn|Owen|1979|p=23}}{{sfn|Babcock|1947|p=140}} |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | Johnston was the first reported |
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== Engravings == |
== Engravings == |
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[[File:Lk George battle.tif|thumb|''A prospective plan of the battle fought near Lake George on the 8th of September, 1755'']] |
[[File:Lk George battle.tif|thumb|''A prospective plan of the battle fought near Lake George on the 8th of September, 1755'']] |
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Johnston was a self-taught engraver. He engraved |
Johnston was a self-taught engraver. He engraved event scenes, views, trade cards, certificates, currency, plans, buildings, maps, music, and book illustrations.{{sfn|Hitchings|1973|p=83}} His earliest known engraving work is his ''Plan of Boston'' of 1729, dedicated to Massachusetts Governor [[William Burnet (colonial administrator)|William Burnet]].{{sfn|Stauffer|1907|p=144}} His most notable apprentice was the artist [[John Greenwood (artist)|John Greenwood]].{{sfn|Hitchings|1973|p=85}} |
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Johnston made the first historical print engraved in America, |
Johnston made the first historical print engraved in America,{{sfn|Ciment|2016|p=2596}}{{sfn|Massachusetts Historical Society|1957|p=260}}{{sfn|New York State|1966|p=10}} a scene depicting [[Battle of Lake George|a battle near Lake George]] in the north of the [[Province of New York]]. The battle scene was originally drawn by [[Samuel Blodgett]] – ''A prospective plan of the battle fought near Lake George on the 8th of September 1755'' – who was a witness at the event.{{sfn|New-York Historical Society|1969|p=15}} Blodgett persuaded Johnston, well known as an engraver, to engrave his sketch on copper so that the printer Richard Draper could print it.{{sfn|Green|1890|p=4}} The scene was printed and published in Boston. It was sold by Blodgett starting on December 22, 1755.{{sfn|Kane|1997|p=18}}{{sfn|Ramsey|1975|p=568}}{{sfn|Winsor|1887|p=586}} Johnston's engraving of the Lake George battle shows, to the left, a bird's eye view of troops marching. To the right side of the engraving is a view of a camp and a battle. The map shows the [[Hudson River]] and plans of [[Fort William Henry]] and [[Fort Edward (town), New York|Fort Edward]]. The engraving was 13 5/8 by 17 1/2 inches (34.6 × 44.6 cm).{{sfn|Exhibition Catalogs|1908|p=46}} It came with an eight-page pamphlet that explained the historical event.{{sfn|Readex Books|1964|p=245}} It was reprinted in London by [[Thomas Jefferys]] for publication in 1756, with the plan and the eight-page pamphlet.{{sfn|NYPL|1964|p=245}} |
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Some of Johnston's |
Some of Johnston's several dozen engravings include the following; the engraving of the first view of Yale College is one that made him famous.{{sfn|Library of Congress|1975|p=59}} |
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[[File:Johnston's View of Yale College.jpeg|thumb|Thomas Johnston's |
[[File:Johnston's View of Yale College.jpeg|thumb|Thomas Johnston's ''Prospect of Yale College'' engraving, 1749]] |
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* ''Trade card of Thomas Hancock |
* ''Trade card of Thomas Hancock'', 1727 |
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* ''The fourth state of the Bonner map of Boston |
* ''The fourth state of the Bonner map of Boston'', 1732 |
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* ''Trade card of Samuel Grant |
* ''Trade card of Samuel Grant'', 1736 |
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* Manufactory notes issued in different values in the name of James Eveleth, 1741 |
* Manufactory notes issued in different values in the name of James Eveleth, 1741 |
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* ''A Plan of Cape Breton, & Fort Louisbourgh |
* ''A Plan of Cape Breton, & Fort Louisbourgh'', 1745 |
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* ''Chart of Canada River from ye Island of Anticosty |
* ''Chart of Canada River from ye Island of Anticosty'', 1746 |
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* ''Prospect of Yale College |
* ''Prospect of Yale College'', 1749 |
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* ''A True Coppy from an Ancient Plan of E. |
* ''A True Coppy from an Ancient Plan of E. Hutchinson's'', 1753 |
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* An |
* An "anchor and codfish" seal which he designed and engraved for the Plymouth Company in 1753. |
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* ''Plan of the Kennebeck and Sagadahock Rivers |
* ''Plan of the Kennebeck and Sagadahock Rivers'', 1753 |
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* ''Plan of Hudson River from Albany to Fort Edward |
* ''Plan of Hudson River from Albany to Fort Edward'', 1756 |
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* Clock face for Preserved Clap, 1756 |
* Clock face for Preserved Clap, 1756 |
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* ''Province of Massachusetts-Bay officer's commission, 1758 |
* ''Province of Massachusetts-Bay'' officer's commission, 1758 |
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* ''Fortification according to Mr. Blondel |
* ''Fortification according to Mr. Blondel'', 1759 |
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* ''The |
* ''The Gentleman's Compleat Military Dictionary'', 1759 |
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* ''Quebec, The Capital of New-France |
* ''Quebec, The Capital of New-France'', 1759 |
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* ''The Grounds and Rules of Musick Explained |
* ''The Grounds and Rules of Musick Explained'', 1760 |
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* ''A New Version of the Psalms of David |
* ''A New Version of the Psalms of David'', 1762 |
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* ''Plan of ye Town of Pownall |
* ''Plan of ye Town of Pownall'', 1763 |
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* ''Walter's Grounds and Rules of Musick |
* ''Walter's Grounds and Rules of Musick'', 1764 |
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* ''South Battery certificate of service |
* ''South Battery certificate of service'', 1765 |
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* ''John Gould junr a crown and sceptre'' advertisement on a signboard, 1765 |
* ''John Gould junr a crown and sceptre'' advertisement on a signboard, 1765 |
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* ''Bayley's Grounds and Rules of Musick |
* ''Bayley's Grounds and Rules of Musick'', 1766 |
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== Marriages and children == |
== Marriages and children == |
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Johnston |
Johnston married Rachel Thwing on June 22, 1730, and had eight children with her (five survived to adulthood).{{sfn|Garraty|1999|p=165}} His first wife died sometime in 1746. Johnston then married twenty-two-year-old Bathsheba Thwing, Rachel's cousin, on August 6, 1747.{{sfn|Garraty|1999|p=165}} He had three children with her; one was Samuel Johnston, a master mariner who drowned at sea in 1794 on a return trip from the [[West Indies]].{{sfn|Dunlap|1918|p=312}}{{sfn|Williams|1915|pp=179–181}}<ref name=Cornelia>{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Cornelia |title=Ancestry of Lawrence Williams |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89066188244;view=1up;seq=228 |location=Ann Arbor, Michigan |publisher=Hathi Trust }}</ref> Eight of his total of eleven children developed careers based on skills that were important in their father's work.{{clarify|reason=By my count, that is all of his children who survived to adulthood. If so, that seems important to mention.}}{{sfn|Reps|1971|pp=117–122}}{{sfn|The Society|1918|p=406}} |
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== Later life and death == |
== Later life and death == |
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Johnston died at the age of 59 in Boston of [[apoplexy]] on May 8, 1767. He is buried at the [[King's Chapel Burying Ground]] near |
Johnston died at the age of 59 in Boston of [[apoplexy]] on May 8, 1767. He is buried at the [[King's Chapel Burying Ground]] near King's Chapel church in Boston.{{sfn|Beers|1905|p=572}} Three of his sons survived him.<ref name=obit1>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Obituary |url= |work=Boston Evening Post| page= 4 |location= Boston, Massachusetts |date=May 11, 1767 |access-date= }}</ref> |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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=== American Colonial engravers === |
=== American Colonial engravers === |
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*[[Samuel Hill (engraver)]] |
*[[Samuel Hill (engraver)|Samuel Hill]] |
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*[[Henry Pelham (engraver)]] |
*[[Henry Pelham (engraver)|Henry Pelham]] |
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=== American Colonial printers === |
=== American Colonial printers === |
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* [[William Hunter (publisher)]] |
* [[William Hunter (publisher)|William Hunter]] |
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* [[William Parks (publisher)]] |
* [[William Parks (publisher)|William Parks]] |
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* [[Joseph Royle]] |
* [[Joseph Royle]] |
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* [[Louis Timothee]] |
* [[Louis Timothee]] |
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== Sources == |
== Sources == |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Babcock|first=Mary Kent Davey |title=Christ Church, Boston|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015056738001;view=1up;seq=180|year=1947|publisher=T. Todd|quote= }} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|first1=J. H. |last1=Beers|first=|title=Record of New London County, Connecticut|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wPsnAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA572|date=January 1, 1905|publisher=[[University of Wisconsin–Madison|J.H. Beers & Company]]}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Ciment|first=James |title=Encyclopedia of Colonial America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VDiPDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT2596&lpg=PT2596&dq=%22Thomas+Johnston%22+first+engraving+of+a+historical+event+ever+produced+in+America+A+prospective+plan+of+the+battle+fought+near+Lake+George+on+the+8th+of+September+1755&source=bl&ots=WmiRquAYi6&sig=lUSNeyFaFdyspRdum_80R2HvSYM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwik5ZWIys3YAhVS61MKHc0HDBcQ6AEILDAB#v=onepage&q=%22Thomas%20Johnston%22%20first%20engraving%20of%20a%20historical%20event%20ever%20produced%20in%20America%20A%20prospective%20plan%20of%20the%20battle%20fought%20near%20Lake%20George%20on%20the%208th%20of%20September%201755&f=false|date=17 September 2016|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|isbn=978-1-317-47416-6|quote=Thomas Johnston produces the first engraving of a historical event ever produced in America.}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Dunlap|first=William |title= Arts of Design in the U.S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4cXpAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA312|year=1918|publisher=[[Goodspeed Publishing|C.E. Goodspeed & Company]]}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Exhibition Catalogs|first=|title=Exhibition Catalogs, 1886–1909: 1908–1909|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3n9PAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA46|year=1908|publisher=Exhibition Catalogs}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Garraty|first=John Arthur |title=American National Biography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AuEpAQAAMAAJ|year=1999|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-512791-1}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Green|first=Samuel A.|title=Blodget's plan of the battle on the shores of Lake George, 8 September, 1755|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t6j10r15q;view=1up;seq=3|year=1890|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Hitchings|first=Sinclair |title=Boston Prints and Printmakers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TbYMAAAAYAAJ|year=1973|publisher=Colonial Society of Massachusetts}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Kane|first=Joseph Nathan|title=Famous First Facts|url=https://archive.org/details/famousfirstfacts00kane|year=1997|publisher=H.W. Wilson|isbn=978-0-8242-0661-1|quote=the first historical print engraved in America was ''A-prospective-plan-of-the-battle-fought-near-Lake-George-on-the-8th-of-September-1755'', which presented a birds eye view showing the march of troops at the left, the camp and battle at the right, and Forts William Henry and Edward in the upper right hand corner. It was a hand-colored line engraving by Thomas Johnston after a painting by Samuel Blodget, and was printed by Richard Draper in Boston, MA, in 1755.|url-access=registration}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Library of Congress|first=|title=American Printmaking Before 1876|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7FtMAQAACAAJ|year=1975|publisher=Library of Congress|quote=The late scholar I. N. Phelps Stokes noted that Blodget's picture was the 'first historical print engraved in America,' yet Blodget apparently saw his work as news, not history, and he had it ready for sale on December 22, 1755.}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Massachusetts Historical Society|first= |title=Massachusetts Historical Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P2vjAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Thomas+Johnston%22+%22first+historical+print+engraved+in+America%22&dq=%22Thomas+Johnston%22+%22first+historical+print+engraved+in+America%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiPvMWA1M3YAhVD0FMKHaQDAtsQ6AEIMzAC|year=1957|publisher=The Society|quote=The large engraved plan of the battle by Johnston has been called 'the first historical print engraved in America.'}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=New-York Historical Society|first=Library|title= New-York Historical Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FupXAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Thomas+Johnston%22+%22first+historical+print+engraved+in+America%22&dq=%22Thomas+Johnston%22+%22first+historical+print+engraved+in+America%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwid9r2Y1c3YAhUJ0lMKHegIAJgQ6AEIPTAE|year=1969|publisher=[[New York Historical Society]]|quote=This is the first historical print engraved in America. Blodget witnessed the battle and immediately afterwards drew the original plan from which Thomas Johnson made the line engraving.}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=NYPL|first=|title=New York Public Library bulletin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DCHhAAAAMAAJ&q=%22A+prospective+plan+of+the+battle+fought+near+Lake+George+on+the+8th+of+September+1755%22&dq=%22A+prospective+plan+of+the+battle+fought+near+Lake+George+on+the+8th+of+September+1755%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4h8D75tDYAhUH7VMKHc3mDB8Q6AEISTAG|year=1964|publisher=New York Public Library|quote=''A-Prospective-Plan-of-the-Battle-fought-near-Lake-George-on-the-8th-of-September-1755.'' This plan, part map and part view, was engraved by Thomas Johnston and has the distinction of being the first historical print engraved in this country.}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=New York State|first=|title=The Conservationist|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=muvzAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Thomas+Johnston%22+%22first+historical+print+engraved+in+America%22&dq=%22Thomas+Johnston%22+%22first+historical+print+engraved+in+America%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwid9r2Y1c3YAhUJ0lMKHegIAJgQ6AEISjAH|year=1966|publisher=[[New York State Department of Environmental Conservation|N.Y.S. Environmental Department]]}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Ogasapian|first=John |title=Church Music in America, 1620–2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yu4r2nCJ1JkC&pg=PA59|year=2007|publisher=[[Mercer University Press]]|isbn=978-0-88146-026-1}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Owen|first=Barbara|title=The organ in New England: an account of its use and manufacture to the end of the nineteenth century|url=https://archive.org/details/organinnewenglan0000owen|url-access=registration|year=1979|publisher=Sunbury Press|isbn=978-0-915548-08-8|quote=}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Ramsey|first=L. G. G. |title=Complete color encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BCI5AQAAIAAJ|date=June 1975|publisher=[[Hawthorne Books]]|isbn=978-0-8015-1538-5}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Readex Books|first=|title=Bulletin of Research in the Humanities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bvc8AQAAIAAJ&q=%22A+prospective+plan+of+the+battle+fought+near+Lake+George+on+the+8th+of+September+1755%22&dq=%22A+prospective+plan+of+the+battle+fought+near+Lake+George+on+the+8th+of+September+1755%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjrgZv8mdPYAhUFRN8KHanjAiIQ6AEIUjAI|year=1964|publisher=Readex Books}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Reps|first=John W. |title=Boston Prints and Printmasters 1670–1775|url=https://www.colonialsociety.org/node/770#ch03|year=1971|publisher=[[University Press of Virginia]]}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Stauffer|first=David McNeely|title=Biographical sketches|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79w-AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA144|year=1907|publisher=Grolier club of New York City}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=The Society|first=|title=Colonial Society of Massachusetts|url= https://archive.org/details/publicationscol18massgoog |page=[https://archive.org/details/publicationscol18massgoog/page/n513 406]|quote=Thomas Johnston (1708–1767) three of Johnston's children followed their father's profession.|year=1918|publisher=The Society}} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Cornelia Bartow|title=Ancestry of Lawrence Williams|url=https://archive.org/details/ancestrylawrenc00willgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/ancestrylawrenc00willgoog/page/n217 177]|year=1915|publisher=[[R.R. Donnelley and Sons Co. Calumet Plant|R.R. Donnelley and Sons Co.]]|quote=His genius was versatile, for he was not only a japanner, heraldic painter and engraver, but also the pioneer organ builder in New England. He was undoubtedly the first person in New England, who undertook to construct church organs and who followed the business as a regular profession. }} |
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*{{cite book |
*{{cite book|last=Winsor|first=Justin |title=Critical History of America|url= |
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https://books.google.com/books?id=kZzCpa_PvL0C&pg=PA586&lpg=PA586&dq=%22Thomas+Johnston%22+first+historical+print+engraved+in+America+printed+by+Richard+Draper&source=bl&ots=7JQsURn8qp&sig=2XqWXkdupPOpf12Te9F7X8YG6kU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3l9Tl2c3YAhXFqlMKHZWfBPEQ6AEIQTAJ#v=onepage&q=%22Thomas%20Johnston%22%20first%20historical%20print%20engraved%20in%20America%20printed%20by%20Richard%20Draper&f=false|year=1887|publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|Houghton, Mifflin]]}} |
https://books.google.com/books?id=kZzCpa_PvL0C&pg=PA586&lpg=PA586&dq=%22Thomas+Johnston%22+first+historical+print+engraved+in+America+printed+by+Richard+Draper&source=bl&ots=7JQsURn8qp&sig=2XqWXkdupPOpf12Te9F7X8YG6kU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3l9Tl2c3YAhXFqlMKHZWfBPEQ6AEIQTAJ#v=onepage&q=%22Thomas%20Johnston%22%20first%20historical%20print%20engraved%20in%20America%20printed%20by%20Richard%20Draper&f=false|year=1887|publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|Houghton, Mifflin]]}} |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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{{Commons category|Thomas Johnston}} |
{{Commons category|Thomas Johnston}} |
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* [https://billiongraves.com/grave/THOMAS-JOHNSTON/16870280 Thomas Johnston gravesite] |
* [https://billiongraves.com/grave/THOMAS-JOHNSTON/16870280 Thomas Johnston gravesite], Billiongraves.com |
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* [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t6j10r15q;view=1up;seq=3 Blodget's plan of the battle on the shores of Lake George, 8 September, 1755 (1890)] |
* [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t6j10r15q;view=1up;seq=3 Blodget's plan of the battle on the shores of Lake George, 8 September, 1755 (1890)], Hathi Trust |
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* [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015056738001;view=1up;seq=7 Christ Church, Salem Street, Boston, the Old North Church – Colonial Periond 1723–1775] |
* [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015056738001;view=1up;seq=7 Christ Church, Salem Street, Boston, the Old North Church – Colonial Periond 1723–1775], Hathi Trust |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Thomas}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Thomas}} |
Revision as of 00:06, 21 August 2020
Thomas Johnston (1708–1767) was an American engraver, japanner, heraldic painter, and church organ builder. He is noted for making the first historical print engraved in America and being the first person who manufactured church organs as a regular business in America.
Early life
Johnston was born in 1708 in Boston, Massachusetts.[1] He was an engraver, an ornamental painter, a japanner, a coats of arms painter, a book publisher, and a builder of organs.[2] He decorated clocks and furniture with embossed or raised work depicting Chinese images. He was a skillful engraver and heraldic painter. He sold London-style looking glasses of all sorts and sizes in 1732 as a japanner at the Golden Lyon on Ann Street, near Dock Square in downtown Boston.[3]
Mid-life and career
Johnston lived in a house on the west side of Brattle Square that he purchased in 1742.[4] The house was across the street from the tower of the Brattle Street Church, of which Johnston became a member on June 5, 1726. At the church, he was involved with various aspects of liturgical music.[3] His workshop, where he did painting, engraving, and organ construction, was in the backyard of his home.[5] He advertised himself as an engraver, painter, organ maker, and furniture merchant.[6]
He rented a small shop near the Town Dock, where he sold his paintings as well as engravings made with copper plates. He is noted for his engravings of views of Boston and Loutsburg[clarification needed] and plates of a heraldic character;[citation needed] in his inventory at his death, in 1767, was noted a book of heraldry valued at 48 shillings.[citation needed]
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts has a portrait by Johnston[clarification needed], and the Massachusetts Historical Society also has one attributed to him.[4]
Johnston was the first person reported to have manufactured church organs as a regular business in Colonial America.[7] The Old North Church in Boston had an imported organ obtained originally by William Claggett in 1736.[8] The church made an agreement with Johnston in 1752 to purchase an American organ that would be as loud as that of Boston's Trinity Church, to replace Claggett's worn-out organ.[5] Johnston constructed the organ in 1758–1759.[4][9] This organ made by Johnston was used until 1886.[7][10]
Engravings
Johnston was a self-taught engraver. He engraved event scenes, views, trade cards, certificates, currency, plans, buildings, maps, music, and book illustrations.[11] His earliest known engraving work is his Plan of Boston of 1729, dedicated to Massachusetts Governor William Burnet.[1] His most notable apprentice was the artist John Greenwood.[12]
Johnston made the first historical print engraved in America,[13][14][15] a scene depicting a battle near Lake George in the north of the Province of New York. The battle scene was originally drawn by Samuel Blodgett – A prospective plan of the battle fought near Lake George on the 8th of September 1755 – who was a witness at the event.[16] Blodgett persuaded Johnston, well known as an engraver, to engrave his sketch on copper so that the printer Richard Draper could print it.[17] The scene was printed and published in Boston. It was sold by Blodgett starting on December 22, 1755.[18][19][20] Johnston's engraving of the Lake George battle shows, to the left, a bird's eye view of troops marching. To the right side of the engraving is a view of a camp and a battle. The map shows the Hudson River and plans of Fort William Henry and Fort Edward. The engraving was 13 5/8 by 17 1/2 inches (34.6 × 44.6 cm).[21] It came with an eight-page pamphlet that explained the historical event.[22] It was reprinted in London by Thomas Jefferys for publication in 1756, with the plan and the eight-page pamphlet.[23]
Some of Johnston's several dozen engravings include the following; the engraving of the first view of Yale College is one that made him famous.[24]
- Trade card of Thomas Hancock, 1727
- The fourth state of the Bonner map of Boston, 1732
- Trade card of Samuel Grant, 1736
- Manufactory notes issued in different values in the name of James Eveleth, 1741
- A Plan of Cape Breton, & Fort Louisbourgh, 1745
- Chart of Canada River from ye Island of Anticosty, 1746
- Prospect of Yale College, 1749
- A True Coppy from an Ancient Plan of E. Hutchinson's, 1753
- An "anchor and codfish" seal which he designed and engraved for the Plymouth Company in 1753.
- Plan of the Kennebeck and Sagadahock Rivers, 1753
- Plan of Hudson River from Albany to Fort Edward, 1756
- Clock face for Preserved Clap, 1756
- Province of Massachusetts-Bay officer's commission, 1758
- Fortification according to Mr. Blondel, 1759
- The Gentleman's Compleat Military Dictionary, 1759
- Quebec, The Capital of New-France, 1759
- The Grounds and Rules of Musick Explained, 1760
- A New Version of the Psalms of David, 1762
- Plan of ye Town of Pownall, 1763
- Walter's Grounds and Rules of Musick, 1764
- South Battery certificate of service, 1765
- John Gould junr a crown and sceptre advertisement on a signboard, 1765
- Bayley's Grounds and Rules of Musick, 1766
Marriages and children
Johnston married Rachel Thwing on June 22, 1730, and had eight children with her (five survived to adulthood).[4] His first wife died sometime in 1746. Johnston then married twenty-two-year-old Bathsheba Thwing, Rachel's cousin, on August 6, 1747.[4] He had three children with her; one was Samuel Johnston, a master mariner who drowned at sea in 1794 on a return trip from the West Indies.[3][25][26] Eight of his total of eleven children developed careers based on skills that were important in their father's work.[clarification needed][27][28]
Later life and death
Johnston died at the age of 59 in Boston of apoplexy on May 8, 1767. He is buried at the King's Chapel Burying Ground near King's Chapel church in Boston.[29] Three of his sons survived him.[30]
See also
American Colonial organ builders
American Colonial engravers
American Colonial printers
References
- ^ a b Stauffer 1907, p. 144.
- ^ Reps 1971, p. 83.
- ^ a b c Dunlap 1918, p. 312.
- ^ a b c d e Garraty 1999, p. 165.
- ^ a b Williams 1915, p. 177.
- ^ "Japanned Furniture: An 18th Century Faux Finish". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. May 7, 1998. p. 48 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ a b Owen 1979, p. 23.
- ^ Ogasapian 2007, p. 59.
- ^ "The OHS Pipe Organ Database". OHS Database ID 41284. The Organ Historical Society. 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ Babcock 1947, p. 140.
- ^ Hitchings 1973, p. 83.
- ^ Hitchings 1973, p. 85.
- ^ Ciment 2016, p. 2596.
- ^ Massachusetts Historical Society 1957, p. 260.
- ^ New York State 1966, p. 10.
- ^ New-York Historical Society 1969, p. 15.
- ^ Green 1890, p. 4.
- ^ Kane 1997, p. 18.
- ^ Ramsey 1975, p. 568.
- ^ Winsor 1887, p. 586.
- ^ Exhibition Catalogs 1908, p. 46.
- ^ Readex Books 1964, p. 245.
- ^ NYPL 1964, p. 245.
- ^ Library of Congress 1975, p. 59.
- ^ Williams 1915, pp. 179–181.
- ^ Williams, Cornelia. Ancestry of Lawrence Williams. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Hathi Trust.
- ^ Reps 1971, pp. 117–122.
- ^ The Society 1918, p. 406.
- ^ Beers 1905, p. 572.
- ^ "Obituary". Boston Evening Post. Boston, Massachusetts. May 11, 1767. p. 4.
Sources
- Babcock, Mary Kent Davey (1947). Christ Church, Boston. T. Todd.
- Beers, J. H. (January 1, 1905). Record of New London County, Connecticut. J.H. Beers & Company.
- Ciment, James (September 17, 2016). Encyclopedia of Colonial America. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-47416-6.
Thomas Johnston produces the first engraving of a historical event ever produced in America.
- Dunlap, William (1918). Arts of Design in the U.S. C.E. Goodspeed & Company.
- Exhibition Catalogs (1908). Exhibition Catalogs, 1886–1909: 1908–1909. Exhibition Catalogs.
- Garraty, John Arthur (1999). American National Biography. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-512791-1.
- Green, Samuel A. (1890). Blodget's plan of the battle on the shores of Lake George, 8 September, 1755. Cambridge University Press.
- Hitchings, Sinclair (1973). Boston Prints and Printmakers. Colonial Society of Massachusetts.
- Kane, Joseph Nathan (1997). Famous First Facts. H.W. Wilson. ISBN 978-0-8242-0661-1.
the first historical print engraved in America was A-prospective-plan-of-the-battle-fought-near-Lake-George-on-the-8th-of-September-1755, which presented a birds eye view showing the march of troops at the left, the camp and battle at the right, and Forts William Henry and Edward in the upper right hand corner. It was a hand-colored line engraving by Thomas Johnston after a painting by Samuel Blodget, and was printed by Richard Draper in Boston, MA, in 1755.
- Library of Congress (1975). American Printmaking Before 1876. Library of Congress.
The late scholar I. N. Phelps Stokes noted that Blodget's picture was the 'first historical print engraved in America,' yet Blodget apparently saw his work as news, not history, and he had it ready for sale on December 22, 1755.
- Massachusetts Historical Society (1957). Massachusetts Historical Society. The Society.
The large engraved plan of the battle by Johnston has been called 'the first historical print engraved in America.'
- New-York Historical Society, Library (1969). New-York Historical Society. New York Historical Society.
This is the first historical print engraved in America. Blodget witnessed the battle and immediately afterwards drew the original plan from which Thomas Johnson made the line engraving.
- NYPL (1964). New York Public Library bulletin. New York Public Library.
A-Prospective-Plan-of-the-Battle-fought-near-Lake-George-on-the-8th-of-September-1755. This plan, part map and part view, was engraved by Thomas Johnston and has the distinction of being the first historical print engraved in this country.
- New York State (1966). The Conservationist. N.Y.S. Environmental Department.
- Ogasapian, John (2007). Church Music in America, 1620–2000. Mercer University Press. ISBN 978-0-88146-026-1.
- Owen, Barbara (1979). The organ in New England: an account of its use and manufacture to the end of the nineteenth century. Sunbury Press. ISBN 978-0-915548-08-8.
- Ramsey, L. G. G. (June 1975). Complete color encyclopedia. Hawthorne Books. ISBN 978-0-8015-1538-5.
- Readex Books (1964). Bulletin of Research in the Humanities. Readex Books.
- Reps, John W. (1971). Boston Prints and Printmasters 1670–1775. University Press of Virginia.
- Stauffer, David McNeely (1907). Biographical sketches. Grolier club of New York City.
- The Society (1918). Colonial Society of Massachusetts. The Society. p. 406.
Thomas Johnston (1708–1767) three of Johnston's children followed their father's profession.
- Williams, Cornelia Bartow (1915). Ancestry of Lawrence Williams. R.R. Donnelley and Sons Co. p. 177.
His genius was versatile, for he was not only a japanner, heraldic painter and engraver, but also the pioneer organ builder in New England. He was undoubtedly the first person in New England, who undertook to construct church organs and who followed the business as a regular profession.
- Winsor, Justin (1887). Critical History of America. Houghton, Mifflin.