#23 • Johnny Johnson "Spell of the Yukon", "Midnight Dancer" & "Night Goddess" Photographs

Part of The Johnny Johnson Estate Auction (timed auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)

Starting at $5.00

Status: Available

Bidding closes Nov 3, 2026 6:07 PM AKST

Category: Art

Three signed and numbered photographs by Alaska wildlife photographer Johnny Johnson (1947-2025). The first work, "Spell of the Yukon", is dated circa 2005 and numbered 119/950. Johnson described the scene: "I photographed this unique aurora in March near Denali National Park. I have never seen a similar display. White lights are considered the rarest of all the colors. In 1619, Galileo named the northern lights after the Roman goddess of morning-Aurora. Ancient peoples thought of them as flying dragons, sky dwellers or dances of the dead. Rising from forty to several hundred miles above the earth, the aurora borealis is just like neon lights. When electricity runs through certain gases, they glow in certain colors." The second work, "Midnight Dancer", is dated circa 1999 and numbered 96/950. Johnson described the scene: "The cold was intense the night I shot this photograph, the temperature hovered around -20 Fahrenheit. Dressed in warm arctic parkas my wife and I searched the starry sky for signs of the aurora borealis. Towards midnight a three-quarters moon rose casting eerie shadows over the snow-capped peaks of the Alaska Range. Suddenly a swirl of light began to glow directly above the summit of a nearby mountain. I quickly checked my cameras and began to photograph. The light show was so spectacular we forgot all about the cold." The third work, "Night Goddess", is dated circa 1995 and numbered 379/950. Johnson described the scene: "Curtains of light shimmer across a winter sky above Denali National Park Headquarters. An intense solar storm provided the energy for this brilliant display. Commonly referred to as northern lights, these moving bands of color extend from forty to several hundred miles high. They were named by Galileo in 1619 after the Roman goddess, Aurora. The way the northern lights works is a lot like a neon sign, except that in the aurora the conducting gas is in the ionosphere, instead of a glass tube, and the current travels along magnetic field lines instead of along copper tubes. Some people see a polar bear in the aurora's shape - do you see it?" All three are signed, dated, and numbered in gold leaf ink and printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Supergloss paper. The photographs are shrink-wrapped on board. The largest measures approximately 24.5" x 16.5".