Lawrence Johnson (type-founder)
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Johnson was born and educated in England. After an early apprenticeship in the printing industry, he emigrated to the United States of America
in his youth, and became an eminent stereotyper
and type-founder
in Philadelphia and one of the most extensive and successful type-founders
in the United States
.
, England
on January 23, 1801, the second son and third child of Edward Johnson and Ann Clayton. He was baptized in Holy Trinity Church
on March 2, 1801. Johnson was educated in Hull
and in Bungay
, Suffolk County
, England
. At the age of twelve he was sent to learn the printing and publishing business with the firm of Brightly and Childs, which was represented in Hull
by his father, Edward. This firm, which operated a paper mill and an extensive printing office and stereotype
foundry
, was established in 1795, and was for many years among the largest printers and publishers of periodical works in Great Britain
. He apprenticed with Brightly and Childs for several years until sailing with his parents for America
in 1818.
, Lawrence Johnson secured a position in Troy, New York
with The Northern Budget, a Republican weekly newspaper. In the spring of 1819, he began working in New York
in the printing office of Bunce and Gray, often working sixteen to eighteen hours a day. Having observed the art of stereotyping in England, where his first employer, Brightly and Childs, had been among the first to adopt it, Johnson sought to learn more about the practice, and in 1820 he entered the employment of B. & J. Collins, one of two firms that did nearly all the stereotyping in New York. Having acquired a sufficient knowledge of stereotyping in New York, he soon left for Philadelphia to establish his own enterprise. There, despite his limited means and knowledge, he managed to develop a successful stereotyping business. Initially his stereotype foundry
was located at 17 Cypress Alley in Philadelphia. By the late 1820’s it was located at 6 George Street (later renamed 606-608 Sansom Street), where it remained until 1906 when the property was sold to the Curtis Publishing Company
. Prior to the establishment of Johnson’s foundry
, those publishers in Philadelphia who desired to use stereotyping for book printing sent their orders to New York. One of Johnsons's earliest successful efforts in stereotyping was Henry’s Commentary on the Scriptures for the publishers, Tower and Hogan.
Despite many challenges, during his first decade in Philadelphia Johnson developed and operated a large and prosperous stereotyping business. In 1833 he added type-founding
to his operations when, in conjunction with George F. Smith, he bought The Philadelphia Type Foundry, originally established by Archibald Binny and James Ronaldson
. The foundry had lost business to other type-foundries, having fallen into disrepair since its initial prosperity. Johnson made major extensions and improvements, and established a solid and successful enterprise. Ten years later, in 1843, George F. Smith retired from the type-foundry business, and for two years, Johnson operated both the type-foundry and the stereotype foundry under his exclusive ownership. In 1845 Johnson brought in three of his employees as junior partners: Thomas MacKellar, John F. Smith and Richard Smith. The business operated under the title of L. Johnson & Company, although it was commonly known as the “Johnson Type Foundry”. In 1856 a branch foundry was established in Cincinnati, under the management of Robert Allison, who later became its owner.
After Lawrence Johnson’s death in 1860, Peter A. Jordon became a partner in the company, and in 1867, the name changed from L. Johnson and Company to MacKellar, Smiths and Jordon. Nonetheless, the operation was long known as the “Johnson Type Foundry”. In 1892, the firm was incorporated with the American Type Founders’ Company
.
, a higher quality process for making printing plates to stereotyping
, as soon as it became available. The Johnson Type Foundry was greatly enlarged and developed a wide variety of type. In 1858 the firm supported a revival of William Caslon
's old-style types by bringing the matrices
to the United States from England.
In 1944 the Johnson Type Foundry published the first extensive specimen book in an octavo
volume of about four hundred pages. This specimen book far exceeded any others of that time in quality and extent, having “no superior in the world of typography” Specimen books showed the numerous varieties of types made in a foundry, but the originality of the type and presentation in the Johnson Foundry book attracted the attention of printers everywhere, and other foundries soon followed suit by increasing the size of their publications. In 1849 the Johnson Foundry issued the first quarto
specimen book ever published. In this edition the letters and type, for the first time, were presented in full words and phrases increasing the appeal of the presentation. This innovation was soon adopted by many of the type-founders in the United States. The firm continued to produce new and unique specimen books well after Johnson’s death. In 1855 L. Johnson & Company began the Typographic Advertiser, the first printer’s paper devoted to printing
and typography
in the United States, and a means to show new productions of the Johnson Foundry.
Johnson was a member of the Philadelphia Typographical Society, to which he made significant contributions. Late in his life, Johnson, along with other leading type-founders of Philadelphia successfully petitioned Congress
to modify copyright
law to extend protection to letter-cutters, engravers, and originators of designs. In 1886 the Type Founders Association of the United States chose the dimensions of the Johnson Pica, named after Lawrence Johnson, as the official standard for the pica.
in 1825, and a life member in 1835. He was a member of both the Typographical Society of Philadelphia and of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
. In 1852 he was elected a member of the Philadelphia Society for the Establishment and Support of Charity Schools.
Lawrence Johnson’s second wife was Mary Winder, daughter of Aaron Winder and Sarah Van Horn, of Bucks County, Pennsylvania
. They were married on May 29, 1837, by the Mayor of Philadelphia, John Swift. They lived on Pine Street in Philadelphia. In 1851 Lawrence Johnson purchased “Lansdowne”, a farm and country estate on Neshaminy Creek
in Bristol Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where he lived in the summer. The property remained in the family long after his death. Lawrence and Mary Winder Johnson had ten children:
Lawrence Johnson was “stricken with apoplexy and paralysis” while at a business meeting in Philadelphia, on April 24, 1860. He was taken home but died on April 26, 1860. He was buried in Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia, until a vault and monument were constructed in Mount Vernon Cemetery. On October 9, 1905, his body, with those of other members of the family, was removed to St Thomas's Episcopal Churchyard, Whitemarsh, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in his youth, and became an eminent stereotyper
Stereotype (printing)
In printing, a stereotype, also known as a cliché, stereoplate or simply a stereo, was originally a "solid plate or type-metal, cast from a papier-mâché or plaster mould taken from the surface of a forme of type" used for printing instead of the original...
and type-founder
Type foundry
A type foundry is a company that designs or distributes typefaces. Originally, type foundries manufactured and sold metal and wood typefaces and matrices for line-casting machines like the Linotype and Monotype machines designed to be printed on letterpress printers...
in Philadelphia and one of the most extensive and successful type-founders
Type foundry
A type foundry is a company that designs or distributes typefaces. Originally, type foundries manufactured and sold metal and wood typefaces and matrices for line-casting machines like the Linotype and Monotype machines designed to be printed on letterpress printers...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early life in England
Lawrence Johnson was born in Kingston-upon-HullKingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on January 23, 1801, the second son and third child of Edward Johnson and Ann Clayton. He was baptized in Holy Trinity Church
Holy Trinity Church, Hull
Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican parish church in the centre of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.-History:It is the largest parish church in England when floor area is the measurement for comparison...
on March 2, 1801. Johnson was educated in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
and in Bungay
Bungay
Bungay is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England.Bungay may also refer to:* Bungay railway station* Frank Bungay , former professional footballer* Stephen Bungay , British management consultant, historian and author...
, Suffolk County
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. At the age of twelve he was sent to learn the printing and publishing business with the firm of Brightly and Childs, which was represented in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
by his father, Edward. This firm, which operated a paper mill and an extensive printing office and stereotype
Stereotype (printing)
In printing, a stereotype, also known as a cliché, stereoplate or simply a stereo, was originally a "solid plate or type-metal, cast from a papier-mâché or plaster mould taken from the surface of a forme of type" used for printing instead of the original...
foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
, was established in 1795, and was for many years among the largest printers and publishers of periodical works in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. He apprenticed with Brightly and Childs for several years until sailing with his parents for America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1818.
Stereotyping and type foundry development
Upon arriving in AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Lawrence Johnson secured a position in Troy, New York
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
with The Northern Budget, a Republican weekly newspaper. In the spring of 1819, he began working in New York
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...
in the printing office of Bunce and Gray, often working sixteen to eighteen hours a day. Having observed the art of stereotyping in England, where his first employer, Brightly and Childs, had been among the first to adopt it, Johnson sought to learn more about the practice, and in 1820 he entered the employment of B. & J. Collins, one of two firms that did nearly all the stereotyping in New York. Having acquired a sufficient knowledge of stereotyping in New York, he soon left for Philadelphia to establish his own enterprise. There, despite his limited means and knowledge, he managed to develop a successful stereotyping business. Initially his stereotype foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
was located at 17 Cypress Alley in Philadelphia. By the late 1820’s it was located at 6 George Street (later renamed 606-608 Sansom Street), where it remained until 1906 when the property was sold to the Curtis Publishing Company
Curtis Publishing Company
The Curtis Publishing Company, founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became one of the largest and most influential publishers in the United States during the early 20th century. The company's publications included the Ladies' Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post, The American Home,...
. Prior to the establishment of Johnson’s foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
, those publishers in Philadelphia who desired to use stereotyping for book printing sent their orders to New York. One of Johnsons's earliest successful efforts in stereotyping was Henry’s Commentary on the Scriptures for the publishers, Tower and Hogan.
Despite many challenges, during his first decade in Philadelphia Johnson developed and operated a large and prosperous stereotyping business. In 1833 he added type-founding
Type foundry
A type foundry is a company that designs or distributes typefaces. Originally, type foundries manufactured and sold metal and wood typefaces and matrices for line-casting machines like the Linotype and Monotype machines designed to be printed on letterpress printers...
to his operations when, in conjunction with George F. Smith, he bought The Philadelphia Type Foundry, originally established by Archibald Binny and James Ronaldson
Binny & Ronaldson
Binny & Ronaldson established the first permanent type foundry in the United States. Founded in Philadelphia in 1796 by the Scots Archibald Binny and James Ronaldson....
. The foundry had lost business to other type-foundries, having fallen into disrepair since its initial prosperity. Johnson made major extensions and improvements, and established a solid and successful enterprise. Ten years later, in 1843, George F. Smith retired from the type-foundry business, and for two years, Johnson operated both the type-foundry and the stereotype foundry under his exclusive ownership. In 1845 Johnson brought in three of his employees as junior partners: Thomas MacKellar, John F. Smith and Richard Smith. The business operated under the title of L. Johnson & Company, although it was commonly known as the “Johnson Type Foundry”. In 1856 a branch foundry was established in Cincinnati, under the management of Robert Allison, who later became its owner.
After Lawrence Johnson’s death in 1860, Peter A. Jordon became a partner in the company, and in 1867, the name changed from L. Johnson and Company to MacKellar, Smiths and Jordon. Nonetheless, the operation was long known as the “Johnson Type Foundry”. In 1892, the firm was incorporated with the American Type Founders’ Company
American Type Founders
American Type Founders was a business trust created in 1892 by the merger of 23 type foundries, representing about 85% of all type manufactured in the United States...
.
Innovations and contributions
During his tenure Johnson oversaw several innovations in the business and made additional contributions to the art and practice of type-founding. Johnson adopted the new art of electrotypingElectrotyping
Electrotyping is a chemical method for forming metal parts that exactly reproduce a model. The method was invented by Moritz von Jacobi in Russia in 1838, and was immediately adopted for applications in printing and several other fields...
, a higher quality process for making printing plates to stereotyping
Stereotype (printing)
In printing, a stereotype, also known as a cliché, stereoplate or simply a stereo, was originally a "solid plate or type-metal, cast from a papier-mâché or plaster mould taken from the surface of a forme of type" used for printing instead of the original...
, as soon as it became available. The Johnson Type Foundry was greatly enlarged and developed a wide variety of type. In 1858 the firm supported a revival of William Caslon
William Caslon
William Caslon , also known as William Caslon I, was an English gunsmith and designer of typefaces. He was born at Cradley, Worcestershire, and in 1716 started business in London as an engraver of gun locks and barrels, and as a bookbinder's tool cutter...
's old-style types by bringing the matrices
Matrix (printing)
In hot metal typesetting, a matrix is a mold for casting a letter, known as a sort, used in letterpress printing....
to the United States from England.
In 1944 the Johnson Type Foundry published the first extensive specimen book in an octavo
Octavo
Octavo to is a technical term describing the format of a book.Octavo may also refer to:* Octavo is a grimoire in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett...
volume of about four hundred pages. This specimen book far exceeded any others of that time in quality and extent, having “no superior in the world of typography” Specimen books showed the numerous varieties of types made in a foundry, but the originality of the type and presentation in the Johnson Foundry book attracted the attention of printers everywhere, and other foundries soon followed suit by increasing the size of their publications. In 1849 the Johnson Foundry issued the first quarto
Quarto
Quarto could refer to:* Quarto, a size or format of a book in which four leaves of a book are created from a standard size sheet of paper* For specific information about quarto texts of William Shakespeare's works, see:...
specimen book ever published. In this edition the letters and type, for the first time, were presented in full words and phrases increasing the appeal of the presentation. This innovation was soon adopted by many of the type-founders in the United States. The firm continued to produce new and unique specimen books well after Johnson’s death. In 1855 L. Johnson & Company began the Typographic Advertiser, the first printer’s paper devoted to printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
and typography
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
in the United States, and a means to show new productions of the Johnson Foundry.
Johnson was a member of the Philadelphia Typographical Society, to which he made significant contributions. Late in his life, Johnson, along with other leading type-founders of Philadelphia successfully petitioned Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to modify copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
law to extend protection to letter-cutters, engravers, and originators of designs. In 1886 the Type Founders Association of the United States chose the dimensions of the Johnson Pica, named after Lawrence Johnson, as the official standard for the pica.
Other business interests
Lawrence Johnson was involved in many other enterprises in Philadelphia and elsewhere, including the development of coal mining, building of street-car lines, and banking. He was president of the Commonwealth Bank of Philadelphia, and a director of The Green and Coates Street Passenger Railway Company, the Philadelphia Coal Company, the Barclay Railroad and Coal Company and the Empire Coal Company. He was an incorporator of The Equitable Insurance, Life Insurance, Annuity and Trust Company, and of the United States Insurance, Annuity and Trust Company. Johnson was also a trustee of the Union Academy of Philadelphia, which was chartered in 1851. He became a member of the Franklin InstituteFranklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
in 1825, and a life member in 1835. He was a member of both the Typographical Society of Philadelphia and of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historical society founded in 1824 and based in Philadelphia. The Society's building, designed by Addison Hutton and listed on Philadelphia's Register of Historical Places, houses some 600,000 printed items and over 19 million manuscript and graphic items...
. In 1852 he was elected a member of the Philadelphia Society for the Establishment and Support of Charity Schools.
Family
Johnson first married Sarah Bacon Murray, daughter of James Murray and Jane Doane of Philadelphia, on May 3, 1825. She died on August 21, 1834, one month after the death of their second child. Their one surviving child, Sarah Murray Johnson, was born on March 27, 1826.Lawrence Johnson’s second wife was Mary Winder, daughter of Aaron Winder and Sarah Van Horn, of Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
. They were married on May 29, 1837, by the Mayor of Philadelphia, John Swift. They lived on Pine Street in Philadelphia. In 1851 Lawrence Johnson purchased “Lansdowne”, a farm and country estate on Neshaminy Creek
Neshaminy Creek
Neshaminy Creek is a stream that runs southeast through Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Neshaminy Creek proper rises south of the borough of Chalfont, where North Branch Neshaminy Creek and West Branch Neshaminy Creek meet. Neshaminy Creek flows lastly between Bristol Township and Bensalem Township...
in Bristol Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where he lived in the summer. The property remained in the family long after his death. Lawrence and Mary Winder Johnson had ten children:
- Edward Winder Johnson, born April 12, 1838, never married. UnionUnion (American Civil War)During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
veteran of the Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. - Anna Rebecca Johnson, born December 15, 1839, married Theodore Hoe Mead on December 3, 1863.
- Mary Ella Johnson, born September 22, 1841, married James Cheston Morris on January 11, 1870.
- Caroline Fletcher Johnson, born July 10, 1843, married Anthony Taylor on February 21, 1871.
- Howard Lawrence Johnson, born October 31, 1845, married Mary Evangeline Bradley on May 7, 1876.
- Russell Hampden Johnson, born September 15, 1847, married Grace Harriet Price on December 13, 1877.
- Lawrence Johnson, born September 28, 1849, married Louisa Philler Gaw.
- Walter Richards Johnson, born August 24, 1851, married Mary Rebecca Winder on October 31, 1876.
- Robert Winder Johnson, born May 7, 1854, married Rosalie Morris on November 10, 1887.
- Alfred Clayton Johnson, born September 17, 1856, married Countess Toni von Baudissin, July 21, 1888.
Lawrence Johnson was “stricken with apoplexy and paralysis” while at a business meeting in Philadelphia, on April 24, 1860. He was taken home but died on April 26, 1860. He was buried in Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia, until a vault and monument were constructed in Mount Vernon Cemetery. On October 9, 1905, his body, with those of other members of the family, was removed to St Thomas's Episcopal Churchyard, Whitemarsh, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.