Henrietta de Beaulieu Johnston: Pioneer Pastelist of Colonial America Henrietta de Beaulieu Johnston (c. 1674 – March 9, 1729) occupies a unique position in the annals of American art history—she is recognized as the earliest recorded female artist and the inaugural pastelist active within the English colonies. Her legacy transcends mere chronological distinction; it embodies an audacious assertion of artistic expression during a pivotal epoch of colonial genesis, cementing her place among the foremost artists of that era. Little definitive information exists concerning Johnston’s origins o…