Henrietta Johnston
Encyclopedia
Henrietta de Beaulieu Dering Johnston (ca. 1674 – March 9, 1729) was a pastel
ist of uncertain origin active in the English colonies in North America from approximately 1708 until her death. She is both the earliest recorded female artist and the first known pastelist working in the English colonies.
, near the town of Rennes
. Her parents, both French Huguenot
s, were Francis and Suzanna de Beaulieu, and the family immigrated to London
in 1687. Miles instead states that she was born Henrietta de Branlien in either England or Ireland; she does, however, agree with the theory that the artist was of Huguenot origin. In 1694 Henrietta married Robert Dering, fifth son of Sir Edward Dering
, Baronet
, moving with him to Ireland
. It was during this time that Johnston began to draw pastels, in the process depicting a number of powerful people to whom she was related by marriage; among these were John Percival
, later to become Earl of Egmont
, and one of the Earls of Barrymore
.
Robert Dering died in about 1704, leaving Henrietta a widow with two daughters. In 1705 she married again, this time to Anglican
clergyman Gideon Johnston, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin
then serving as the vicar
at Castlemore. Two years later, he was appointed by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts to serve as commissary
of the Church of England in North
and South Carolina
and the Bahama Islands
. He was also to serve as rector
of St. Philip's Episcopal Church
in Charleston
. The couple's time in the colonies was hard; Johnston was frequently writing the Society to request payment of his salary, which was often delayed, and their lives were further hampered by illness, lack of supplies, and distance from family. In one of his letters to his patron Gilbert Burnet
, written in 1709, Johnston mentions that "were it not for the assistance my wife gives by drawing of Pictures (which can last but a little time in a place so ill peopled) I should not be able to live", indicating that Henrietta had again taken up her drawing to augment the couple's income. Another letter, dated a year later, reveals that she had run out of drawing materials and suffered "a long and tedious Sickness". Johnston made one return trip to England, in 1711-1712; her husband, too, returned there once, from 1713 to 1715. He died in a boating accident in 1716, not long after returning to Charleston.
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Little is known of Johnston's later life in the colonies. She is known to have traveled at some point to New York City
, as four portraits dated 1725 exist depicting a family from that city.The family is that of Colonel John Moore, formerly of South Carolina; what link may have existed between them and Johnston is, however, unknown. She returned to Charleston at some time before her death in 1729.
One of Johnston's daughters by her first marriage, Mary Dering, later became lady-in-waiting
to the daughters of George II.
, which at the time were greatly in fashion in the United Kingdom and the colonies. Her pastels from Ireland are drawn in deep earth tone
s, while those from her time in South Carolina are generally lighter and smaller, due likely to the precious nature of her materials, which had to be imported. Her American female subjects are usually shown wearing chemise
s, while the male subjects are drawn mostly in street clothes; some of the latter are depicted wearing armor. Each subject is shown sitting erect, with the head frequently turned at a slight angle from the body and towards the viewer. The faces are typically dominated by large oval
eyes. Johnston usually signed her portraits on their wooden backing, noting her name, the location of completion, and the date of completion in order. A typical signature is the inscription on the reverse of her portrait of Philip Percival: Henrietta Dering Fecit / Dublin Anno 1704.
About forty portraits by Johnston are known to survive; these tend to depict members of her social circle and, later, of her husband's Charleston congregation, such as Colonel William Rhett
. Many of her South Carolina portraits depict members of Huguenot families that had settled in the New World, including the Prioleaus, Bacots, and duBoses. Today, a number of her works are held by the Gibbes Museum of Art
in Charleston; others may be seen in the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, and the Greenville County Museum of Art
.
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
ist of uncertain origin active in the English colonies in North America from approximately 1708 until her death. She is both the earliest recorded female artist and the first known pastelist working in the English colonies.
Life
Both the date and place of Johnston's birth are unknown; it has been suggested, and is generally accepted, that she was born in northwestern FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, near the town of Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
. Her parents, both French Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s, were Francis and Suzanna de Beaulieu, and the family immigrated to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1687. Miles instead states that she was born Henrietta de Branlien in either England or Ireland; she does, however, agree with the theory that the artist was of Huguenot origin. In 1694 Henrietta married Robert Dering, fifth son of Sir Edward Dering
Sir Edward Dering, 2nd Baronet
Sir Edward Dering, 2nd Baronet was an English politician.He was the eldest surviving son and heir of Sir Edward Dering, 1st Baronet of Pluckley, Kent by his second marriage to Anne, sister of John Ashburnham. He was admitted as a fellow-commoner to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge...
, Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
, moving with him to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It was during this time that Johnston began to draw pastels, in the process depicting a number of powerful people to whom she was related by marriage; among these were John Percival
John Percival
John Percival known as Mad Jack Percival was a legendary officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the War of 1812, the campaign against West Indies pirates, and the Mexican-American War.-Biography:Born in West Barnstable, Massachusetts, Percival left home at thirteen to...
, later to become Earl of Egmont
Earl of Egmont
Earl of Egmont is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1733 for John Perceval, 1st Viscount Perceval. This Perceval descends from John Perceval, who on 9 September 1661 was created a Baronet, of Kanturk in the County of Cork, in the Baronetage of Ireland. He was succeeded by his...
, and one of the Earls of Barrymore
Earl of Barrymore
Earl of Barrymore is a title in the Peerage of Ireland created for David Barry in 1627/28. Lord Barrymore held the subsidiary titles of Baron Barry , and Viscount Buttevant in the County of Cork in Ireland...
.
Robert Dering died in about 1704, leaving Henrietta a widow with two daughters. In 1705 she married again, this time to Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
clergyman Gideon Johnston, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
then serving as the vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
at Castlemore. Two years later, he was appointed by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts to serve as commissary
Commissary
A commissary is someone delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office; in a formal, legal context, one who has received power from a legitimate superior authority to pass judgment in a certain cause or to take information concerning it.-Word history:...
of the Church of England in North
Province of North Carolina
The Province of North Carolina was originally part of the Province of Carolina in British America, which was chartered by eight Lords Proprietor. The province later became the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee....
and South Carolina
Province of South Carolina
The South Carolina Colony, or Province of South Carolina, was originally part of the Province of Carolina, which was chartered in 1663. The colony later became the U.S. state of South Carolina....
and the Bahama Islands
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
. He was also to serve as rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of St. Philip's Episcopal Church
St. Philip's Episcopal Church (Charleston, South Carolina)
St. Philip's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church in the French Quarter neighborhood of Charleston, South Carolina. Its National Historic Landmark description states: "Built in 1836 , this stuccoed brick church features an imposing tower designed in the Wren-Gibbs tradition...
in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. The couple's time in the colonies was hard; Johnston was frequently writing the Society to request payment of his salary, which was often delayed, and their lives were further hampered by illness, lack of supplies, and distance from family. In one of his letters to his patron Gilbert Burnet
Gilbert Burnet
Gilbert Burnet was a Scottish theologian and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Burnet was respected as a cleric, a preacher, and an academic, as well as a writer and historian...
, written in 1709, Johnston mentions that "were it not for the assistance my wife gives by drawing of Pictures (which can last but a little time in a place so ill peopled) I should not be able to live", indicating that Henrietta had again taken up her drawing to augment the couple's income. Another letter, dated a year later, reveals that she had run out of drawing materials and suffered "a long and tedious Sickness". Johnston made one return trip to England, in 1711-1712; her husband, too, returned there once, from 1713 to 1715. He died in a boating accident in 1716, not long after returning to Charleston.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, as four portraits dated 1725 exist depicting a family from that city.The family is that of Colonel John Moore, formerly of South Carolina; what link may have existed between them and Johnston is, however, unknown. She returned to Charleston at some time before her death in 1729.
One of Johnston's daughters by her first marriage, Mary Dering, later became lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
to the daughters of George II.
Style
Nothing at all is known of Johnston's training; in pose and coloring, many of her portraits strongly resemble those of Sir Godfrey KnellerGodfrey Kneller
Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet was the leading portrait painter in England during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and was court painter to British monarchs from Charles II to George I...
, which at the time were greatly in fashion in the United Kingdom and the colonies. Her pastels from Ireland are drawn in deep earth tone
Earth tone
Earth tone is a color scheme that draws from a color palette of browns, tans, greys, greens, oranges, whites, and some reds. The colors in an earth tone scheme are muted and flat in an emulation of the natural colors found in soil, moss, trees and rocks. Many earth tones originate from clay earth...
s, while those from her time in South Carolina are generally lighter and smaller, due likely to the precious nature of her materials, which had to be imported. Her American female subjects are usually shown wearing chemise
Chemise
The term chemise or shift can refer to the classic smock, or else can refer to certain modern types of women's undergarments and dresses...
s, while the male subjects are drawn mostly in street clothes; some of the latter are depicted wearing armor. Each subject is shown sitting erect, with the head frequently turned at a slight angle from the body and towards the viewer. The faces are typically dominated by large oval
Oval
An oval is any curve resembling an egg or an ellipse, such as a Cassini oval. The term does not have a precise mathematical definition except in one area oval , but it may also refer to:* A sporting arena of oval shape** a cricket field...
eyes. Johnston usually signed her portraits on their wooden backing, noting her name, the location of completion, and the date of completion in order. A typical signature is the inscription on the reverse of her portrait of Philip Percival: Henrietta Dering Fecit / Dublin Anno 1704.
About forty portraits by Johnston are known to survive; these tend to depict members of her social circle and, later, of her husband's Charleston congregation, such as Colonel William Rhett
William Rhett
Colonel William Rhett moved to the Province of Carolina in 1698. He soon became successful and gained a high rank and social status as a colonial leader. In 1706 it was Rhett who commanded a flotilla that fought off a Franco-Spanish attack on Charles Town...
. Many of her South Carolina portraits depict members of Huguenot families that had settled in the New World, including the Prioleaus, Bacots, and duBoses. Today, a number of her works are held by the Gibbes Museum of Art
Gibbes Museum of Art
The Gibbes Museum of Art is an art museum in Charleston, South Carolina. Established as the Carolina Art Association in 1858, the museum moved into a new Beaux Arts building at 135 Meeting Street in 1905...
in Charleston; others may be seen in the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, and the Greenville County Museum of Art
Greenville County Museum of Art
The Greenville County Museum of Art is an art museum located in Greenville, South Carolina. Its collections focus mainly on American art, and its holdings include works by Andrew Wyeth, Josef Albers, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Ronnie Landfield, Eric Fischl, Marylyn...
.