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Exhibition of Samuel Johnson Celebrates a "Writer's Writer"
“Samuel Johnson: Literary Giant of the 18th Century” on View May 23–Sept. 21, 2009, in the Library West Hall
Literary giant Samuel Johnson (1709–1784), author of the first English dictionary, will be celebrated in a new exhibition opening this spring at The Huntington, marking the 300th anniversary of his birth. Johnson is one of the most significant and influential men of letters in English. Legendary as a writer, moralist, and conversationalist during his lifetime, Johnson first achieved fame with the publication of his Dictionary of the English Language in 1755. “Samuel Johnson: Literary Giant of the 18th Century,” on view from May 23 to Sept. 21, showcases Johnson’s craft as a writer through a display of more than 70 items, including a copy of the first edition of the Dictionary in its original binding, a portion of one of Johnson’s diaries, personal letters, and other works seldom seen by the public.
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Captions
Blinking Sam
| The famous “Blinking Sam” portrait of Samuel Johnson, painted by his friend Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1775. © Huntington Library.
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Definition
| Samuel Johnson’s definition of Lexicographer, from his 1755
dictionary: “A writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge.” ©
Huntington Library
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Diary
| Samuel Johnson’s diary, open to Aug. 9, 1781. In this diary entry from
late in his life, Johnson confronts his propensity for procrastination
and laziness, and he admonishes himself: “After innumerable
resolutions formed and neglected, I have retired hither to plan a life
of greater diligence, in the hope that I may yet be useful…. My
purpose is to pass eight hours every day in some serious employment.”
© Huntington Library.
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Dictionary
| A first edition of Johnson’s famous Dictionary of the English Language,
published in 1755 in two volumes. Courtesy of Loren Rothschild.
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Engraving 1
| Mezzotint of Samuel Johnson from the frontispiece of James Boswell’s
Life of Samuel Johnson, 1791, based on a portrait by Sir Joshua
Reynolds painted in 1756–57. © Huntington Library |
Engraving 2
| Mezzotint of Johnson, based on a portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds painted in the late 1760s. Courtesy of Loren Rothschild.
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| Life of Johnson | Frontispiece and title page of James Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson, 1791. © Huntington Library |
| London | A view of London and the Thames during the “age of Johnson.” Hand-colored engraving by Samuel Buck, 1749. © Huntington Library.
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| Meeting | Samuel Johnson (far right) converses with his friend James Boswell
(center) and author Oliver Goldsmith in an engraving titled “The Mitre
Tavern,” 1880. Courtesy of Loren Rothschild. |
| Taxation no Tyranny | Samuel Johnson’s pamphlet from 1775 in response to dissent in the
American colonies about British taxation. © Huntington Library
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| Vanity | Considered Johnson’s greatest poem, Vanity of Human Wishes (1749) was
written while Johnson was busy working on his groundbreaking Dictionary
of the English Language. Courtesy of Loren Rothschild
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