"The Unnatural History of Dragons" (December 1981-June 1982). Label copy. Drafts, undated

The exhibitions documented in this subseries consist of those featuring works of art solely from the Johnson Collection as well as those drawing on objects from the Johnson and museum collections. Folders are identified by exhibition title and arranged in chronological order of exhibition opening date. The first exhibition documented was held in the Spring of 1979 featuring sixteen works on paper. While the Johnson Collection was widely recognized for its numerous paintings, this exhibition brought attention to its important nineteenth-century drawings and watercolors. The artists best represented in the show were Edgar Degas and Léon-Augustin Lhermitte.

Listed after the exhibition files are those documenting outgoing loans from the Johnson Collection. Beginning with 1974 loans, folders are identified by year and exhibition dates. Files are arranged in chronological order by exhibition opening date. A photocopy of the original folder title, which identifies the work of art lent, the borrowing institution and exhibition dates is included with corresponding material. Because it is unclear whether the loans were realized, four 1987 loan requests were identified during processing as "Requests withdrawn?"

Maintained separately by curatorial staff, additional exhibition files are included in the "1973-1992" subseries of the "Subjects" series.