Whose Picture Is It: the Johnson/Brant Portrait by Benjamin West

Several members of Sir William Johnson's extended family followed him into what became the family business, serving as Superintendents in the British Indian Department.  One of these was Guy Johnson (c 1740-1788).  Years later, noted portraitist Benjamin West would paint a picture depicting a seated British officer in uniform, wearing a blanket or piece of cloth matchcoat style around his shoulders.  A Mohawk warrior can be seen behind him.  The warrior is delivering advice or intelligence of some kind, to which the officer is listening and pondering intently before making up his mind on what to do.

The cultural sensitivities of this portrait aside, debate exists over whether West meant to depict Sir William Johnson and Joseph Brant, or Guy Johnson and Joseph Brant.  The warrior is almost certainly Brant, who was a Mohawk war chief.  He was active in that capacity during the final years of William's life, and would work closely with two other Johnsons, Guy, and Sir John Johnson, 2nd Baronet.  Neither John nor Guy were sons of Native women.  John (1741-1830), was the son of William Johnson by his first long-term companion, a German woman by the name of Catherine Weisenberg.  Guy, who immigrated from County Meath, Ireland in 1756, would later marry William's daughter and John's sister Polly, another of Catherine's children.  In modern terms it would be highly inappropriate for any of these men to adopt aspects of Native dress but 18th century people had a fascination with Natives and wouldn't have thought anything of it.

Guy served as William's assistant for many years, himself amassing a fortune in what was once Mohawk land.  William died in 1774.  Despite not being the legitimate son of William Johnson, John inherited the lion's share of his father's estate and was later knighted and created a baronet, giving him an equal right to the title of Sir John Johnson.  Meanwhile, Guy succeeded his uncle as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the British Indian Department, Northern colonies, working in tandem with John Stuart in the South.  During the American Revolution, the Johnsons' lands and homes were confiscated.  Not only were they Loyalists, which was bad enough in American eyes, but their close association with the Mohawk, particularly Brant, was unforgivable.  Both men would have made valuable prisoners and much time and intelligence was spent trying to capture either John or Guy while their empire was being dismembered in their absence.  Johnson Hall, where Molly Brant had presided over gatherings attended by local White and Native dignitaries including her brother Joseph, as well as Guy Park, in what is now Amsterdam, New York. 

The Johnson family fled to Canada, and quickly reestablished their roles in the Indian Department as well as acquiring extensive landholdings in Canada.  Like his father, John had a large family, though none of his children married Natives and several of his sons became British officers.  Guy's wife Polly, died during the flight from New York to Canada.  A large and powerful family such as this routinely makes enemies and the Johnsons had their share.  In 1782, as the Revolution would down, Guy was accused by several British officers of misappropriating funds in the Indian Department.  He left John in charge at Fort Niagara and went to London to clear his name, dying there in in 1788.  John succeeded his cousin/brother-in-law as Superintendent in 1782 and served in that capacity in Canada for many years, dying in 1830. 

So, whose portrait is it?  That remains a mystery.