Earl Jr. Catholic Church records show that in 1785 he married his first wife, Sarah, with whom he had four children – two sons and two daughters, the latter of whom both died young. By 1803 he was married to a woman named Clara. According to the Baltimore city directory of 1817–1818 he was listed in the section "Free Householders of Colour"; in 1825 he had moved to Frederick County, Maryland, and two years later moved to Anne Arundel County, again, following the paths of those whose portraits he painted. Little is known of his life after this final move, and his death. Artistic career and style Style Recent research has brought to light that Johnson was not associated with the Peale family; however, his work is still associated with names such as Charles Peale Polk, whose naive painting and less sophisticated work (compared to his other family members) is similar to Johnson's. In his advertisement in the Baltimore Intelligencer of December 19, 1798, Johnson called his portraiture the work of "a self-taught genius, deriving from nature and industry his knowledge of the Art." His work, however, is more similar to lesser known limners who worked during the same time in the mid-Atlantic region such as: John Drinker, Frederick Kemmelmeyer, Jacob Frymire and Caleb Boyle. In fact, Johnson may have been more than familiar with the work of these artists than previously thought; in 1818 he was commissioned by patron Rebecca Myring Everette to copy Boyle's 1807 portrait of her husband, Thomas Everett. Johnson's work has also been compared to Ralph Earl, who, like Johnson, also utilized brass upholstery tacks, swagged curtains and open window vistas in his paintings. However, a stronger comparison lies between Johnson and Earl's son, Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl. Both were noted for painting multi-figure family group portraits, which were rare during this period of American art. Both are considered prominent self-taught "folk" artists, but it can only be theorized whether the two ever came into contact within similar circles. The Westwood Children In his painting The Westwood Children (now in the National Gallery of Art), Johnson depicts the male children of Margaret and John Westwood, who was a successful Baltimore stagecoach manufacturer. The painting is stylized and depicts the three children holding flowers in their hands, accompanied by the family dog which holds a bird in its mouth. The children have chilled expressionless stares, although