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Avery F. Johnson was born April 3, 1906 in Wheaton, Illinois. Johnson received a B.A. from Wheaton College in 1928, and then earned an additional degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1933. After leaving art school, Johnson worked as Supervisor of the United States Treasury Department Art Projects. At this post he travelled often, creating series of watercolors in locations such as Key West and the Virgin Islands. His work for the United States government continued throughout World War II, where he served in the Overseas Branch of the Office of War Information. In this branch, he held the positions of Art Director in North Africa, and Art and Production Staff for Balkan Publications in Rome.
One of his first illustrated children's books was Mouseknees (1939) written by William Chapman White. Johnson illustrated books on a wide range of themes including: African folktales in Wakaima and the Clay Man (written by Ernest Kalibala and Mary Gould Davis, 1946); the Wars of the Roses in The Black Arrow (written by Robert Louis Stevenson, 1947); and the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in The Silver Disk (written by Loring MacKaye, 1955).
In addition to children's book illustrations, Johnson produced many murals and watercolors. Some of his commissions included Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals in post offices across Illinois, Arkansas, Maryland, New Jersey, and Indiana. Johnson's watercolors are held in public and private collections in the United States including the Library of Congress, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Newark Museum, and the Montclair Museum.
Johnson also devoted much of his life to teaching art. He served as a Painting Instructor at the Montclair Art Museum, and as the Head of the Pictorial Illustration Department and Instructor in Illustration, Watercolor, and Mural Painting at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art. Johnson lived and worked in New Jersey until his death in 1990.
[Source: Viguers, Ruth Hill, Dalphin, Marcia, and Miller, Bertha E. Mahony. Illustrators of Children's Books, 1946-1956. Boston: Horn Book, 1958.]
The Avery Johnson papers are comprised chiefly of original illustrations created for publications. These illustrations are composed in a variety of media including graphite, ink, watercolor, gouache, and scratchboard, and include some reproductions (photocopies and proofs).
The illustrations are arranged according to publication and include both preliminary sketches and final illustrations. For some publications (such as Ollie the Ostrich), the illustrations include drawings on paper with corresponding acetate overlays for the creation of multiple color plates. The illustrations also include lettering designs in ink for other book components such as title pages, chapter headings, and jackets.
The collection contains additional documents related to Johnson's publications including correspondence, reviews, contracts, agreements, and royalty statements. These documents are arranged by publication title.