In 1907, 23 year old Martin Johnson joined the crew on Jack London’s yacht, the Snark. London’s plan of a seven year voyage to exotic locations was cut short after just two years when London and all of the Snark crew members contracted a tropical disease and were hospitalized. Martin, who wasn’t ready to go home, spent another year traveling on his own to Bombay, then through the Suez Canal and on to Italy, Paris, London, and Boston.
When he finally got home to Kansas he had thousands of photographs that he used to give lectures at local theatres. While doing this he met and married Osa, a 16 year old vaudeville singer. For six years the couple traveled around the US and Europe giving lectures and raising money which allowed them to spend the next 18 years traveling, taking photographs, and experimenting with the new art of film making. Together the Johnsons wrote 20 books and produced more than a dozen films.
The museum exhibits include artifacts that the Johnsons collected and many photographs of locations that they visited in Africa and the South Seas. Some of their films are available for viewing in the small theater. In addition to the Johnson exhibits the museum has a large collection of African artifacts donated by Dr. Pascal J. Imperato.
The museum is accessible.
RVs will fit in the parking lot on the north side of the museum.
Museum 37.68356, -95.45209
Amazingly adventurous couple (that we'd never heard of), but I'm sure the museum would be worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteThey were a pretty big deal in the 1920s and 30s when movies were a still a novelty and the places where they traveled hadn't been overrun by tourists.
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