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Gustav Johnson was born in 1870 in Elk Point. Johnson attended school in Elk Point and medical school in Stoughton, Wisconsin. He married Sophie Jamtgaard in 1899 and the couple lived in Elk Point for several years. They had three children, Evelyn, Jerrold and Leota, while they lived in Elk Point. The family moved by train and covered wagon to Grindstone in 1905. After living on a homestead for two years the family moved to the town of Philip. Two daughters, Viola and Fern, were added to the family after the move to town. Gustav died in 1962 in Pierre and is buried in Philip.

Gustav was a photographer while living on the homestead and while the family lived in Philip. His photographs document the early development of the town of Philip, fires, Indians, floods, children, and portraits of the people of the area.

The Gustav Meier Johnson photograph collection was donated to the South Dakota State Archives in 1992 by the family of Gustav Johnson. There are approximately 2, 816 glass plates, 600 postcards, 37 prints and 11 albums of proof prints in this collection. Currently, the staff at the Archives are in the process of cleaning the glass plates, scanning them and storing the glass plates in acid-free folders. The scanned images are available in a printed version for the researchers at the archives to view.