Henry Hamilton Johnston (1858-1927), or Sir Harry Johnston, was an English administrator, explorer, naturalist, painter, and author. He helped to explore Africa, to govern its subject peoples, and to make scholarly sense of the continent's complexity.

Henry Johnston was born in London on June 12, 1858, the eldest of 12 children of Esther and John Johnston, a wealthy and well-traveled insurance company director. Henry discovered his aptitude for drawing, painting, and languages at an early age and, before he was out of his teens, had attracted the attention of the London Zoological Society and the Royal College of Surgeons. For a time he pursued the study of languages at King's College, University of London, but in 1875 became a pupil of painting at the Royal Academy.

In 1878 Johnston began painting in France, and during the next 2 years his paintings began to be hung in the academy. He also illustrated for the Zoological...