1931 and 1939, he spent much of his time at his studio in Cody, Wyoming, just outside Yellowstone National Park. Many of his paintings were done there from studies inside the park. He has been called the "Master of American Moonlight Painting" and "Master Painter of the Old West." Attending a social event with his wife, Johnson happened to greet a socialite with a kiss on the cheek. Unfortunately, he contracted spinal meningitis from her with that kiss. She died a few days later, and then he died from the disease on New Year's Day 1939 in Pasadena, California. Awards and honors In 1923, Johnson was awarded the Samuel T. Shaw Purchase Prize at an exhibit at the Salmagundi Club of which he was a member. In 1932, Johnson was honored with membership in the National Academy of Design. In 1979, the Frank Tenney Johnson Memorial Invitational Art Show was held at the Gene Autry Hotel in Palm Springs, California. References External links A 1903 Field & Stream cover illustration by Frank Tenney Johnson In 1957, Johnson's sister-in-law was found strangled in his former house in Alhambra. The case was never solved. Frank Tenney Johnson Artist and Gallery web site Trouble on the Pony Express, ca.1910-1920, Sid Richardson Museum, includes biography 1874 births 1939 deaths Artists of the American West Artists from California Neurological disease deaths in California Infectious disease deaths in California Deaths from meningitis People from Pottawattamie County, Iowa People from Alhambra, California People from Cody, Wyoming University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni American illustrators