J. S. Johnston photographs
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Abstract
Collection of photographs taken circa 1890-1899 by J.S Johnston, including original glass negatives and modern gelatin silver photographic prints. The photographs are pleasant pictorial depictions of New York City landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge, Union Square, and Castle Garden, as well as of Niagara Falls, Boston landmarks, the Hudson River valley, Puerto Rico, Montreal, and Quebec. There are also some images of shipping, and of Buffalo Bill (William F. Cody) and his Wild West show. All negatives and photographs bear Johnston's handwritten captions and numbers, and most are dated. Photographic prints in this collection were printed in the 1960s and 1970s from oversize vintage glass negatives that were later destroyed. Online version.
Biographical / Historical
John S. Johnston (circa 1839–1899) was a late 19th-century maritime and landscape photographer best known for his images of yachts and New York City landmarks. His work appeared in 1890s periodicals that featured boat racing, such as Outing Magazine, and Forest and Stream (later absorbed by Field & Stream).
For the scant known details of Johnston's life, see his obituary in the New York Times: "Dies Trying to Hide Identity," December 19, 1899.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in two series based on format. Items within each series are arranged by Johnston's negative numbers.
- Series I.
- Negatives, circa 1890-1899
- Series II.
- Photographic Prints, circa 1892-1895
Scope and Contents
The bulk of J. S. Johnston's images in this collection show popular sites in Manhattan at the end of the 19th-century, including churches (Trinity Church, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the Church of the Transfiguration, affectionately called the "Little Church Around the Corner"), bridges (Brooklyn Bridge, Washington Bridge), statuary (Christopher Columbus in Central Park, Nathan Hale in City Hall Park), parks (Central Park and Union Square), and early skyscrapers (St. Paul Building, Manhattan Life Building). Views farther afield were taken at Niagara Falls, and in Massachusetts (Longfellow's House at Cambridge, and the Old South Church, King's Chapel, and Old State House in Boston), Montreal, Quebec (city and province), and Puerto Rico.
The complete collection of J. S. Johnston photographs has been digitized and may be viewed online through the New-York Historical Society's Shelby White and Leon Levy Digital Library.
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Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact the Print Room Librarian at printroom@nyhistory.org.
Use Restrictions
Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to 20 exposures of stable, unbound material per day. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as: J. S. Johnston Photographs, PR-219, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, New-York Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was removed from the Negative File (PR-045) and the George P. Hall & Son Photograph Collection (PR-024) in 2003.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Jennifer Lewis organized and described this collection in February 2003. Joseph Ditta migrated her WORD-document inventory to ArchivesSpace in July 2020.