Johnson’s Life and Literature

‘My dear Dr. Johnson’.

18 July 2025

Jane Austen and Samuel Johnson are both literary giants who were born in the Georgian era – although they never … Read More

10 March 202514 September 2023

This month’s blog post is written by Holly Phillips, a University of Birmingham student who carried out a work placement … Read More

10 March 202516 July 2023

16 July 2023 marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Joshua Reynolds, one of the most famous painters of … Read More

10 March 202530 March 2023

Did you know that 30 March is Pencil day? In this blog post Sarah Dale has been finding out more … Read More

10 March 20251 December 2022

This December, visitors to the Museum can enjoy our special display ‘A Georgian Christmas’. In this month’s blog post, Museum … Read More

10 March 20253 September 2022

This September we are joining heritage sites across the UK to take part in the national Heritage Open Days fortnight. … Read More

10 March 202523 August 2021

In 1621 Robert Burton published The Anatomy of Melancholy. Often cited as Samuel Johnson’s favourite book, the work has engaged … Read More

10 March 20252 April 2021

Within the Birthplace Museum collection, one little book contains a particularly special inscription. At Easter in 1777, aged 68, Samuel … Read More

10 March 202515 March 2021

A large part of Samuel Johnson’s writing was concerned with contemporary society. In 1773 he had the opportunity to observe … Read More

10 March 202514 December 2020

This month’s blog post takes us behind the scenes at the Birthplace and down into our basement. As visitors to … Read More