… Image D. George Thompson published by Owen Bailey, stipple and line engraving, 'A literary party at Sir Joshua Reynolds's', © National Portrait Gallery. NPG D14518, 1851. Abstract Johnson was one of the foremost … but he enjoyed too the company of intelligent women and had several long-standing and loyal female friends. People > Art and Literature Keywords Celebrity Conversation Depression Clubs Fame Gender Unkempt, ungainly, uncouth, with … 1784, Johnson’s name was virtually synonymous with sociability within the intellectual and cultural circles of London. Part of the reason for this was the celebrity he gradually gained by a lifetime of work as a professional writer, with …