Osa Helen Johnson

Osa Helen Johnson (née Leighty, March 14, 1894 – January 7, 1953) was an American explorer, photographer, and documentary filmmaker.

Johnson was born on Osa Leighty on March 14, 1894, Chanute, Kansas.

Johnson met noted American explorer Martin Elmer Johnson (9 Oct 1884 - 13 Jan 1937) when Martin was touring the country and displaying photographs and artifacts collected on his voyage on the Snark, with Jack London. The two got married in 1910 and went on to travel around the world and produce such adventure/wildlife documentaries as:

• Lost Tribe (1923)
• Simba: The King of the Beasts (1928)
• Across the World with Mr. and Mrs. Johnson (1930)
• Wonders of the Congo (1931)
• Congorilla (1932)
• Wings Over Africa (1934)
• Baboona (1935)
• Borneo (1937)

In January 1937, Johnson and her husband, Martin, began a nationwide lecture and radio tour at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. On January 12 they boarded a flight bound for Las Vegas and Burbank. The plane crashed in bad weather near the Los Pinetos peak in California. Martin died the following day, on 13 Jan 1937. Osa recovered and gave hundreds of lectures from a wheelchair. She continued lecturing, writing, and producing motion pictures.

In 1940, she wrote a book about their adventures entitled, "I Married Adventure: The Lives of Martin and Osa Johnson". In the following year, she published another book about their journeys, "Four Years in Paradise".

Johnson was planning a return visit to Africa, however, she suffered a heart attack and died in New York City on January 7, 1953.

The Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum which opened in 1961 in Chanute, Kansas houses a collection of about 10,000 Johnson photographs and many of his films.

Martin + Osa

In 2006, American Eagle Outfitters launched a clothing line named "Martin + Osa" in honor of Martin Elmer Johnson and Osa Helen Johnson. 28 nationwide Martin + Osa stores were launched, targeting 25 to 40-year-old customers and offering classic and contemporary clothing, with an emphasis on denim. The label used references to the Johnsons on their clothing and accessories –– "1910" referred to the year Martin and Osa married, "S-38" referred to the Sikorsky S-38 amphibian airplane flown by the Johnsons, and "NC-52V" was the aircraft registration number of their Sikorsky S-39. In 2016 the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum acquired the Martin + Osa trademarks.