Writings. Sight-seeing in Berlin and Holland: among Pictures [photocopy], 1892

It appears that the two ornate, leather-bound Bibles filed here as "Library, other" were never included in any Johnson inventories--neither the estate inventories in this collection, nor the inventories included in the curatorial records. Yet both clearly belonged to Johnson. As an inscription on one of the front matter pages makes evident, the volume published in 1847 was a gift to Johnson's parents from the Reverend Samuel Pancoast and his wife Sarah Louise. The Pancoasts presented the Bible on March 1, 1847, "as a testimonial of respect." It is not yet known if the date represented a special occasion. Research suggests that Pancoast was a Methodist minister. The gift (now in fragile condition) served as a family Bible, as certain birth, death and marriage dates were noted on the "Family Record" pages. The genealogy begins with Johnson's parents (including the names of his grandparents) and follows through to the births of his three nephews and niece. As of this writing, it is the only record of the exact date of birth of Johnson's father David (August 6, 1814). During processing, four artifacts were discovered tucked between the pages. The items--two needle-point bookmarks, one illustrated prayer card, and slip of paper noting John Graver's date of death--are now in a separate folder. Paper flags mark their original placement within the Bible. The second Bible, larger than the first, bears Johnson's name stamped in gold on the front cover. The illustrations are by various engravers from the Philadelphia firm of "J. M. Butler." Unlike the first volume, no family information was recorded.

Also included here is a photocopy of Johnson's one published writing. In 1892 Johnson made known his most detailed impressions of European painting with the publication of "Sight-seeing in Berlin and Holland: Among Pictures." In this 44-page work, Johnson, in true legal argument fashion, critiques artists and art collections, and offers stern analysis as to why the Berlin Annual Exhibition of 1891 was such a failure. The remaining papers to this series are two documents that likely stemmed from his legal practice.