Catalogue Entry
When Johnson returned from Europe late in 1855 and moved in with his family in Washington, D.C., he began receiving portrait commissions. Like those done earlier, Johnson generally used charcoal (named in some records as black chalk) with touches of white and created a strong chiaroscuro for his sitters. Gradually he moved away from the strong chiaroscuro style he had been using, and his later portraits tend to be sketchier (as was the taste in art at the time) but no less professional. He used pastel to bring in color in some of these portraits. —PH
MacGibeny, 2022: Baur 1940 noted that the initials "E. J." were inscribed at both lower left and lower right. In 2018 a conservator examining the drawing noted only the initials at lower left and what appeared to be a framer's instructions inscribed in the lower right margin.
Alfrederick Smith Hatch (1829–1904). Prominent wall street broker, president of the New York Stock Exchange, 1883–1884, and enthusiastic art collector. Resided at 49 Park Avenue with his wife Theodosia Ruggles (1829–1908). Other family members including Theodosia’s mother, Alfrederick’s father, and their children are present in their group portrait by Johnson [Metropolitan Museum of Art website, accessed February 27, 2022].
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