Reuben Le Grande Johnston was an American artist known for his exquisite landscape paintings. He was a self-taught artist, and learned the skill of painting by way of traveling and sketching foreign lands, including Morocco, France, Spain, England, and Tangiers. Depictions of pastoral landscapes, pastures, and shepherds are common subjects for Johnston.

Johnston spent the majority of his career in New York City and Washington D.C. where he taught at the Art Students League of Washington DC.  He also traveled to the West, painting the farms, animals, and landscape of Wyoming. Johnston later became a member of the Society of Washington Artists and exhibited his work at the Corcoran Gallery, the National Academy of Design, and the Royal Academy of London.