Allan Janus, 1951-2025

A note from the web manager:  This page was created with love to remember Allan, as there doesn’t seem to be any other obituary or meaningful written tribute to him online.  Which the web manager thinks is a shame, given that Allan was (a) a digital creator, and (b) beloved by his friends and neighbors.

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Allan S. Janus, of Washington Grove, Maryland, died on Monday, January 6, 2025. He was 73. Born on June 15, 1951, in Washington, DC, Allan was the son of Edmina and Milton Janus of Bethesda, Maryland. He is survived by his siblings Katherine Kahn, of Wheaton, Maryland, and Edward Janus, of Madison, Wisconsin; his nephews Robert Kahn, of Washington, DC, and Caleb Janus, of Madison; and his grandnephew Eli Janus, also of Madison. He is also survived by his partner of 20 years, Rebecca Richters, of Washington Grove.

After graduating from the University of Iowa in 1974, Allan “eked out a precarious living” (his own words) as a tintypist in Harper’s Ferry, WV, and Alexandria, VA. During the Smithsonian’s retrospective “1876: A Centennial Exhibition”, Allan opened and managed in the Arts and Industries Building a tintype studio (Smith and Sun Tintype Shop) in the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian Institution. Allan subsequently joined the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum as a museum specialist in the Archives Division, where he catalogued and managed the museum’s photographic collections, and was known as an authority on lighter-than-air flight (e.g., balloons and airships).

Allan worked at Air & Space for more than 30 years. While there, he wrote the text and curated the photographs for his book Animals Aloft: Photographs from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (2005). He also wrote the article “Dog is my Co-Pilot” for Air & Space magazine (June/July 1996; digital version sadly unavailable). When he retired on April 14, 2022, his name was inscribed on the National Air and Space Museum’s Wall of Honor as a permanent testament to his contribution to the nation’s aviation and space exploration heritage.

Allan, always a serious student of history, thoroughly enjoyed reenacting it.  In 1975, he joined the re-created 1st Maryland Regiment, a “living history” group whose members wore historically correct uniforms and aimed to accurately portray the everyday lives of 17th- and 18th-century soldiers. The 1st Maryland participated in the major Revolutionary War reenactments during the Bicentennial, beginning in Fall 1981 with the reenactment of Yorktown, and ending in Fall 1983 with the reenactments of the Treaties of Paris and Versailles.

Allan was a widely exhibited photographer, whose work is represented in many collections, including those of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

From his neighbor Zach Negin, this appreciation:

Allan was a sweet man. He was kind, funny, and above all else, a wonderful neighbor.  In the past 20+ years, when I would return to the Grove, he was always on my list of neighbors to see, especially as that list has dwindled, as folks have moved and/or passed on.

I got to know Allan when we moved to the Circle house when I was 15 years old. He lived next door in the yellow cottage with the bullhead mounted on the side. One year, when I learned that Mary Challstrom would no longer be coming to Thanksgiving, bringing her incredible pies, I took it upon myself to learn how to make pies from scratch. Allan graciously offered to be my taste tester as I made pie after pie. I don’t recall a lot of critical feedback other than “You’re almost there, but I think you should try to make ONE more” each time I brought him a slice, ensuring his steady delivery of pie was uninterrupted.

Allan will forever be remembered for his Musket Therapy™, bringing relief to all who fired it, and chagrin to those nearby not expecting a gun to go off.

When my parents moved back to the 4th Ave house, even though we had moved off the block, my mom requested that Allan stay on as her Neighborhood Watch Block Captain, for obvious reasons: Who better to lead the charge than the man who invented Musket Therapy™?

I loved sharing a cocktail with Allan on his front porch, watching the birds, squirrels and neighbors go by. It will forever be one of my happy places in the Grove.

Here’s to you, Allan. Thanks for all the joy you’ve brought to the world.

More by, and about, Allan:
 

• View another appreciation of Allan, focusing on his relationship with the “Circle Cats” (PDF).

• Read Allan’s description of how he came to discover Patrick O’Brian (POB), author of 20 novels (and one movie, Master and Commander) chronicling the voyages of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin through the shoals and deep water of friendship, love, war and life.

• Read a 1983 Washington Post article about Allan’s ambrotype portraits.

• View Allan’s:
  • “Life in Washington Grove” playlist and “Catwalks” (i.e., the Circle Cats) playlist on YouTube.
  • AI art, created via the Deep Dream Generator
  • photographs in the collections of the:
    • Smithsonian American Art Museum,
    • Brooklyn Museum,
    • Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, and
    • Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.