The Johnson Collection

Happy 250th Celebration America! In honor of America's birthday, here is TJC's oldest painting which dates back to the Revolution itself.

Swiss-born Jeremiah Theus immigrated to South Carolina in 1735 as part of a colonial initiative to attract European Protestant settlers. Establishing his studio at the intersection of Broad and Meeting Streets in Charleston, Theus became the city’s leading portraitist during the mid-eighteenth century. Working in the “limner” style, characterized by decorative detail, focused on costume, and heavily influenced by English mezzotints, his portraits reflect both the aspirations and social hierarchies of the colonial elite.

Many of Theus’s patrons—leaders in commerce and civic life—would soon face divided loyalties between Crown and colony, and his portraits stand at the threshold of transformation, recording the confident faces of a society on the brink of revolution and independence. The sitter, Elizabeth Wayne, was the wife of Richard Wayne, a member of the British army who emigrated to the colonies 1751. During the Revolutionary War (1775–83), he fought on both sides of the conflict before settling in Savannah. His complex loyalties foreshadowed those of his son, James Moore Wayne, a future U.S. Supreme Court justice who faced similar divisions of allegiance during the American Civil War.

Jeremiah Theus (1716–1774) • Elizabeth Clifford Wayne • Circa 1769–1770

Opening Soon at the The Columbus museum: "Circa 1776."

Celebrating the nation's 250th, The Columbus Museum presents 25 paintings created before the nation's founding and then 25 paintings created after the revolution. See TJC's pendant pair of paintings by Joshua Johnson on loan to this exhibition.

Opening July 4th, 2026.

Joshua Johnson (b. c. 1763 - active 1796-1824) • Hilmer Schumacher • circa 1808-1810