Indiana Historical Society - Manuscripts & Archives
User information
Biographical sketch
Scope and Content note
Cataloguing information
Processed by
Charles Latham
18 November 1994
VOLUME OF COLLECTION: 2 folders
COLLECTION DATES: 1916-1919
PROVENANCE: Charles Latham, Indianapolis IN, 12 November 1994
RESTRICTIONS: None
REPRODUCTION RIGHTS: Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained in writing from the Indiana Historical Society
ALTERNATE FORMATS: None
OTHER FINDING AIDS: None
RELATED HOLDINGS: None
ACCESSION NUMBER: 95.0072
Winant P. Johnston (ca 1890 - ca 1955) was born in Indianapolis. He attended the University of Pennsylvania. During the first World War he was a pioneer in aerial reconnaissance, and wrote a textbook on aerial photography.
Between World Wars he moved to Washington, D. C., and had a house at 3417 N Street in Georgetown, which he had converted from a fish store. In the late 1920s, under the Dutch version (Wijnant) of his first name, he published a novel entitled Eyelids of the Morn. In 1939 he was working in a library in Brittany; he left France on the last available ship at the outbreak of war.
During World War II Johnston was a Lieutenant Colonel, stationed in Washington and having to do with Lend-Lease supply of munitions to South American allies.
Source: Personal knowledge of donor
This collection, filling two folders, contains a narrative written on the back of six photographs. It was sent to Julia G. and Anna T. Sharpe of Indianapolis. The author was doing aerial photography with occupation troops near Coblenz on the Rhine; internal evidence indicates that the narrative was written early in 1919 while the Versailles Settlement was being written. Johnston refers to Germany as "Bocheland," describes the mooring and communication lines of an observation blimp, and describes the fortifications of Ehrenbreitstein across the Rhine from Coblenz. A portrait of Johnston is included.
MAIN ENTRY: Johnston, Wijnant, 1890-
SUBJECT ENTRIES: Johnston, Wijnant, 1890- --Portraits
Sharpe, Anna T.
Sharpe, Julia G.
World War, 1914-1918--Germany--Reconnaissance operations
World War, 1914-1918--Germany--Photography
Aerial reconnaissance, American--Germany
Aerial photography--Germany
Aerial observation (Military science)--Germany
Airships--Germany--Aerial photography
Koblenz (Germany)--Aerial photographs
END