Sign In

- Or use -
Forgot Password Create Account

Alvin Jewett Johnson (1827 - 1884) was an American map publisher. Born in Wallingford, Vermont, he received only a basic public education, but he still served as a school teacher for several years before moving to Richmond, Virginia and, in 1857, New York City. Johnson also worked as a book canvasser for the map publisher J.H. Colton.

Johnson's name first appears on maps published with Samuel N. Gaston and D. Griffing Johnson (no clear relation) in the mid-1850s, and his name (along with Ross Browning) appeared on Colton's atlas maps of 1859 and 1860. Although map historian Water Ristow speculates that Colton sold his copyrights to Johnson and his business partner, fellow Vermonter Browning, a more likely theory is that Johnson and Browning financially bailed out the Colton firm in exchange for the right to use Colton’s existing copyrighted map plates. The first Johnson maps were mostly reissues of earlier Colton maps. Indeed, Johnson's earliest works described his firm as the “Successors to J. H. Colton and Company”. Johnson converted the original Colton steel plate engravings to lithographic stones, allowing his firm to produce more maps at a lower price point. 

In 1860, the Johnson firm published its first significant work, the Johnson’s New Illustrated (Steel Plate) Family Atlas. The first edition of the Atlas bears imprints in both New York and Richmond, VA. In 1861, however, following the outbreak of the American Civil War, the Johnson & Browning firm abandoned their Richmond location. Browning seems to have remained in Virginia to pursue other ventures and, in 1861, Browning’s portion of the firm was purchased by Benjamin P. Ward. The 1863 issue of the Atlas was one of the most unusual, it being a compilation of older Johnson and Browning maps, updated 1862 Johnson and Ward maps, and newer 1863 maps with a revised border design.

The 1864 issue of the Atlas is the first true Johnson and Ward atlas. Johnson published one more edition in partnership with Ward in 1865, after which Johnson becomes the sole publisher. The next issue of the Atlas, 1866, is the first purely Johnson atlas with all new map plates, updated imprints, and copyrights. Johnson maps include a unique border style, which changed over the years, but was not copied by other makers. These include a “strapwork border” from 1860 to 1863, a “fretwork border” from 1863 to 1869 and a “spirograph border” in 1870. 

In addition to the Family Atlas, Johnson issued numerous wall maps, pocket maps, and, in the 1880s, the Cyclopedia. Johnson frequently updated his western atlas maps and on occasion, more than one update appeared in a single year. Johnson continued to publish the Family Atlas until 1887. In 1879, Johnson brought his son into the business, and their publications have the imprint “A.J. Johnson and Son” and, later, “A.J. Johnson and Co.” Johnson’s son continued the business until it shuttered in 1887.

Place/Date:
New York / 1862
Size:
17 x 24 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
101082
Place/Date:
New York / 1861
Size:
16 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
79135
Place/Date:
New York / 1864
Size:
17 x 24 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
103033
Place/Date:
New-York / 1862
Size:
26.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
87234
Place/Date:
New York / 1862
Size:
25 x 16.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
100046

Archived

Place/Date:
New York / 1865
Size:
24 x 17.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0985
Place/Date:
/ 1866
Size:
Condition:
Stock#:
m0001e
Place/Date:
New York / 1867
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
2132
Place/Date:
New York / 1867
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
2134
Place/Date:
New York / 1867
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
2135
Place/Date:
New York / 1867
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
2137
Place/Date:
New York / 1864
Size:
16 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5306
Place/Date:
New York / 1862
Size:
17 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9659
Place/Date:
New York / 1863
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
2543
Place/Date:
New York / 1862
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
2545
Place/Date:
New York / 1862
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
2548
Place/Date:
New York / 1864
Size:
16 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
3944
Place/Date:
New York / 1863
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
3623
Place/Date:
New York / 1864
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0649
Place/Date:
New York / 1862
Size:
16 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0790
Place/Date:
New York / 1862
Size:
26.5 x 16 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0982
Place/Date:
New York / 1863
Size:
16 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5313
Place/Date:
New York / 1863
Size:
16 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5315
Place/Date:
New York / 1862
Size:
16 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5319
Place/Date:
New York / 1864
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
3692
Place/Date:
New York / 1865
Size:
16 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
4321
Place/Date:
New York / 1865
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
4332
Place/Date:
New York / 1862
Size:
16 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
4478
Place/Date:
New York / 1865
Size:
23 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
4718
Place/Date:
New York / 1865
Size:
23 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
4719
Place/Date:
New York / 1865
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
4724
Place/Date:
New York / 1865
Size:
25 x 16 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
4725
Place/Date:
New York / 1861
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
4900
Place/Date:
New York / 1865
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
4990
Place/Date:
New York / 1862
Size:
17.5 x 24 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5296
Place/Date:
New York / 1861
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5458
Place/Date:
New York / 1865
Size:
16 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
6060
Place/Date:
New York / 1866
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
6114
Place/Date:
New York / 1871
Size:
16 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
6945
Place/Date:
New York / 1870
Size:
23 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
6969
Place/Date:
New York / 1865
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9538
Place/Date:
New York / 1862
Size:
25 x 18 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9650
Place/Date:
New York / 1865
Size:
16 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9651
Place/Date:
New York / 1864
Size:
16 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9654
Place/Date:
New York / 1862
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
9658
Place/Date:
New York / 1862
Size:
16 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
m0488
Place/Date:
New York / 1870
Size:
23 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
7055
Place/Date:
New York / 1863
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
m0458
Place/Date:
New York / 1877
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
7596
Place/Date:
New York / 1864
Size:
24 x 16 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
7624
Place/Date:
New York / 1863
Size:
24 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
7625