Ernest Borough Johnson was born in Shropshire. The family then moved to Basingstoke, where he was educated privately and at Queen's School. He went on to study at Slade and Herkomer's at Bushey, and subsequently became Professor of Fine Art at London University's Bedford College and Chelsea Polytechnic respectively.  He was a teacher of life painting and drawing at London School of Art and the Byam Shaw School. He exhibited at the RA for the first time in 1887, then moved to Bushey. Married to the artist Esther GEORGE, by 1917 he lived at Westbourne Gardens, Hyde Park, London.

They both exhibited in the 1924 Show Day in St Ives, with Johnson showing several fine oils, charcoals and pencil studies. According to the St Ives Times, one was 'a busy scene on the Wharf in the fishing season, with girls packing the fish, and a cart loaded with barrels on its way.'  He also showed a portrait of Mr MATSUBAYASHI in Samurai costume, with a bright red background. His paintings of Polperro were exhibited a number of times, including a portrait of Polperro resident William Minards, which was shown at the RA in 1920.

In 1920 the Royal British Colonial Society of Artists held an exhibition in Winnipeg, USA, containing work by, among others, Ernest Borough Johnson.

By the 1930s he was distinguished as a writer on techniques of drawing.