Who was Henrietta Johnston?

Magazine Antiques, Nov, 1995 by Martha R. Severens

Dr. John Thomas, a frenchman, the only P'son that deserves the Name of a Physician in this place has been extremely kind and generous to me;...he has constantly attended us on all occasions When I call'd for a Bill...he told me he wou'd not take one single farthing from me.(15)

In Ireland, where paper and crayons were more accessible than in Charleston, Johnston rendered her sitters on a slightly larger scale, allowing for elongated proportions that emphasized the elegance of her sitters (see Pl. I). In pose and clothing the Irish likenesses are more sophisticated and pretentious, perhaps reflecting the elevated social standing of her sitters. These pastels are richer in color and have more fully developed backgrounds than those executed in Charleston. They are also less faded owing to the dimmer Irish light. Finally, compared to the American portraits, the Irish ones appear to be more firmly rooted in the tradition of Sir Godfrey Kneller, the most popular and prolific painter of the time. Several members of the Dering family sat for Kneller (see Pl. VI) and Johnston may have known and studied those portraits.(16)

The American portraits are more delicately rendered, have a minimum of background, and are pale - a result both of fading and the artist's economical use of her pastels. Poses are less complicated, with most portraits fully frontal.

In the forty known portraits by Johnston, her women sitters, both Irish and American, typically wear a gauzy white chemise under a simple outer garment, while men are shown in street clothes and wigs. The waistcoats of the Irishmen are often embellished with gold braid and buttons, and the likeness of a member of the Titcombe family stands out for its handsomely rendered drapery (Pl. VIII). Three men are dressed in armor (see Pls. I, VII), which Johnston apparently invented rather than copied from life.(17)

Where and from whom Johnston learned her craft are still a mystery. Rutledge suggested that she was taught by Simon Digby (w. 1668-1720), an Irish churchman and amateur artist who specialized in watercolor miniatures on ivory. However, Johnston would probably not have had reason to know him until she married her second husband, by which time she was already an accomplished portraitist. Rutledge also proposed Edmund Ashfield (w.c. 1680-c. 1700) and his follower Edward Lutterel (or Luttrell; w. 1680-c. 1724), who worked in England. However, their work resembles that of Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680) more than Kneller's and has few stylistic similarities to Johnston's pastels. Ashfield and Lutterel often worked in crayon and their sharp modeling is distinctly different from Johnston's soft shading.(18)

The artist may have found formal art training difficult to obtain in Dublin, where the Guild of Painters and Stainers strictly controlled apprentices and required all visiting artists to register.(19) They are unlikely to have encouraged the artistic education of a French-born woman. Instead, she may have availed herself of the Derings' portrait collection and taught herself by copying, perhaps under the guidance of a member of the family or of a painter in its employ.