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Anna C. Johnson
A clever thief scanned an image of a painting and then cut out the painting from its frame and replaced it with the scan. The painting was done by Anna C. Johnson circa 1910 and depicts an older, bent over white-haired lady carrying a load of sticks on her back.
Just when the crime occurred is a mystery, but good detective work is narrowing the date of when the painting could have been stolen.
According to Cook County Historical Interim Director Katie Cark,
“Here is what we know – the Cook County Historical Society (CCHS) received the oil painting (“Woman Hauling Sticks”) circa late 1960s and it has been displayed on and off in the Anna C. Johnson wing of the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery since that time. It appears an image was taken of both the painting and side framing, mounted onto canvas and masonite, and then a clear coating was applied. The image was replaced back into its original framing.
“Our accession number is missing from the painting indicating it was switched after 2018. We also had the collection appraised in 2019 and nothing out of the ordinary was noted at that time.”
A portrait of Anna and Charles Johnson adorns a wall at the Birch Terrace Restaurant. One of Anna’s paintings was taken from the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery, and the Cook County Historical Society would like it back. The Johnson Heritage Post is named after Anna’s family and was largely funded by her late son, Lloyd K. Johnson. The gallery houses a large collection of Anna’s works. Before it was a restaurant, the Birch Terrace was the home of Anna and Charles Johnson. Staff photo by Brian Larsen
The crime was discovered this March when the Cook County Historical Society decided to have the “Woman Hauling Sticks” painting scanned and reproduced so visitors to the gift shop could have a memento to take home.
Valued at $600, the painting won’t make the thief rich, but it was a favorite of visitors who come to the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery. The gallery is named after Anna C. Johnson and houses a collection of Anna’s paintings and other artwork.
At the turn of the last century, Anna Johnson was a talented Grand Marais artist who taught art and sold her paintings, stained glass, ceramics, and pen-and-ink sketches to visitors at her family’s trading post gift shop. Unfortunately, the gift shop burned down in 1926.
Many years later, Lloyd K. Johnson, Anna’s son, donated a large sum of money so the new Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery could be rebuilt on the same ground where the original trading post existed. Before his death, Lloyd also established the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation which gives grants to community projects, economic development and education for Cook, Lake, and southern St. Louis counties.
As for the rest of the Anna Johnson collection at the JHP, Clark said
All of the paintings have been checked and verified to be her actual paintings.
“Many people enjoy Anna’s paintings and this one was quite popular. We had initially thought to offer prints of the image before we realized it was not the original.,” Clark said.
So far, no leads have come from a recent Minneapolis Tribune article about the missing artwork, but a bit of a silver lining came to the JHP when, said Clark, “We did have someone from Duluth (a friend of the Johnson family) reach out to donate their beautiful Anna C. Johnson watercolor painting to the collection.”
If you know anything about the missing painting “Woman Hauling Sticks” please give the Cook County Historical Society a call at 218-387-2883 or e-mail history@boreal.org.
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