JOSHUA JOHNSON (1765 - 1865) | Dr. Andrew Aitkin (1757-1809), Mrs. Andrew Aitkin (Elizabeth Aiken, 1761-1811) and her daughter, Eliza Aitkin (1798-1885)

together with an embroidered needlework sampler by the hand of the daughter Eliza, inscribed Eliza Aitken is my name and with my needle I work the same And By This Work you may plainly see The Care my parents took of me / Baltimore November the 19 1804 Aged 6 years.

Descended in the family of Eliza Aitkin (1798-1885), who married Alfred Crawford;
To their son, William Crawford (b. 1825), who married Mary E. Trumble (b. 1834);
To his daughter, Mary Blair Crawford (b. 1855), who married John E. Briscoe;
To their son, William Crawford Briscoe (b. 1892), who married Sophie Gaither Smith (b. 1896);
To the present owner.

Travelling Exhibition, Joshua Johnson: Freeman and Early American Portrait Painter, Baltimore, Maryland, Maryland Historical Society; Colonial Williamsburg, The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center; New York, The Whitney Museum of American Art; Stamford, Connecticut, The Whitney Museum of American Art, September 1987-November 1988, cat. no. 29 and 30.

Carolyn Weekley and Stiles Tuttle Colwill, Joshua Johnson: Freeman and Early American Portrait Painter, (Baltimore, Maryland and Colonial Williamsburg: Maryland Historical Society and Addy Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, 1987), p. 124-125, cat no. 29 and 30.

Mother and Daughter: The work is lined and the tacking edges trimmed. There is scattered blooming throughout the background. Upside-down L-shaped repaired tear above girl's head approximately 1 in x 2 in. Scattered small dots and specks of inpainting throughout both figures. A few minor small spots of inpainting in the woman's face and several scattered spots and specks in the girl's face. Small losses in the book cover Scattered inpainting elsewhere from an earlier conservation campaign Man: The work is lined and the tacking edges trimmed. Retains an old opaque varnish. Several repaired tears are evident to the right of the figure's head, the largest of which is a u-shaped tear approximately 3 x 1 x 3 in. Two vertical tears in the background at left, the largest approximately 5 in long. A few scattered small spots of inpainting elsewhere. Sampler: There is discoloration throughout with some areas of browning. Fading to some of the decoration, but the inscriptions remain dark and legible. Areas of separation and loss to the ground. The sampler measures: 17 1/2 by 17 in. IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PURCHASERS: Purchasers may pay for and pick up their purchases from any of our Americana Week sales taking place from January 17-20, 2019, at our York Avenue headquarters until the close of business on Sunday, January 20, 2019. After this time, all property (sold and unsold) will be transferred to our offsite facility, Crozier Fine Art, One Star Ledger Plaza, 69 Court Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102. Once property has been transferred from our York Avenue location, it will not be available for collection at Crozier Fine Arts until Friday, January 25, 2019. Crozier's hours of operation for collection are from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday-Friday. Please note, certain items of property, including but not limited to jewelry, watches, silver and works on panel will remain at 1334 York Avenue. Invoices and statements will indicate your property's location. For more information regarding collection from our offsite facility, please visit sothebys.com/pickup.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Dr. Andrew Aitkin was born in Paisley, Scotland, coming to America sometime prior to 1780, when he married Elizabeth Aitkin of Philadelphia.  His obituary in the Baltimore Federal Gazette (April 10, 1809) mentions his service during the Revolutionary War as a surgeon under the command of General Richard Montgomery.  Around 1783, Andrew and Elizabeth moved to Baltimore, soon after he opened a drug store in Fells Point.  Listed among the debts of his estate was $9.99 by a Joshua Johnson, though it is unclear if this is the artist of the presently offered works or the some other similarly named person.¹  Elizabeth (born Aiken) was born in Philadelphia in 1761.  Her brother, George Aiken (1765-1832), was a well-known silversmith who moved from Philadelphia to Baltimore around the time that Elizabeth and her new husband relocated there.  Elizabeth and Andrew had ten children, including Eliza who is shown with her mother. Eliza was born in Baltimore in 1798 and died there in 1885.<sup>2   

1</sup> Weekly and Colwill, Joshua Johnson: Freeman and Early American Portrait Painter (1987), p. 29.
² See ibid, p. 31.