diff --git a/include/qpdf/QPDF.hh b/include/qpdf/QPDF.hh
index b227bb37..54af0d17 100644
--- a/include/qpdf/QPDF.hh
+++ b/include/qpdf/QPDF.hh
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@
 #include <memory>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string>
-#include <variant>
 #include <vector>
 
 #include <qpdf/Buffer.hh>
@@ -51,7 +50,6 @@ class BitStream;
 class BitWriter;
 class QPDFLogger;
 class QPDFParser;
-struct JSON_Descr;
 
 class QPDF
 {
@@ -1110,72 +1108,7 @@ class QPDF
         std::set<QPDFObjGen>::const_iterator iter;
     };
 
-    class JSONReactor: public JSON::Reactor
-    {
-      public:
-        JSONReactor(
-            QPDF&, std::shared_ptr<InputSource> is, bool must_be_complete);
-        virtual ~JSONReactor() = default;
-        virtual void dictionaryStart() override;
-        virtual void arrayStart() override;
-        virtual void containerEnd(JSON const& value) override;
-        virtual void topLevelScalar() override;
-        virtual bool
-        dictionaryItem(std::string const& key, JSON const& value) override;
-        virtual bool arrayItem(JSON const& value) override;
-
-        bool anyErrors() const;
-
-      private:
-        enum state_e {
-            st_initial,
-            st_top,
-            st_qpdf,
-            st_qpdf_meta,
-            st_objects,
-            st_trailer,
-            st_object_top,
-            st_stream,
-            st_object,
-            st_ignore,
-        };
-
-        void containerStart();
-        void nestedState(std::string const& key, JSON const& value, state_e);
-        void setObjectDescription(QPDFObjectHandle& oh, JSON const& value);
-        QPDFObjectHandle makeObject(JSON const& value);
-        void error(qpdf_offset_t offset, std::string const& message);
-        QPDFObjectHandle reserveObject(int obj, int gen);
-        void replaceObject(
-            QPDFObjectHandle to_replace,
-            QPDFObjectHandle replacement,
-            JSON const& value);
-
-        QPDF& pdf;
-        std::shared_ptr<InputSource> is;
-        bool must_be_complete;
-        std::shared_ptr<std::variant<std::string, JSON_Descr>> descr;
-        bool errors;
-        bool parse_error;
-        bool saw_qpdf;
-        bool saw_qpdf_meta;
-        bool saw_objects;
-        bool saw_json_version;
-        bool saw_pdf_version;
-        bool saw_trailer;
-        state_e state;
-        state_e next_state;
-        std::string cur_object;
-        bool saw_value;
-        bool saw_stream;
-        bool saw_dict;
-        bool saw_data;
-        bool saw_datafile;
-        bool this_stream_needs_data;
-        std::vector<state_e> state_stack;
-        std::vector<QPDFObjectHandle> object_stack;
-        std::set<QPDFObjGen> reserved;
-    };
+    class JSONReactor;
 
     void parse(char const* password);
     void inParse(bool);
diff --git a/libqpdf/QPDF_json.cc b/libqpdf/QPDF_json.cc
index fb858557..f13b9517 100644
--- a/libqpdf/QPDF_json.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/QPDF_json.cc
@@ -223,13 +223,79 @@ provide_data(
     };
 }
 
+class QPDF::JSONReactor: public JSON::Reactor
+{
+  public:
+    JSONReactor(QPDF&, std::shared_ptr<InputSource> is, bool must_be_complete);
+    virtual ~JSONReactor() = default;
+    virtual void dictionaryStart() override;
+    virtual void arrayStart() override;
+    virtual void containerEnd(JSON const& value) override;
+    virtual void topLevelScalar() override;
+    virtual bool
+    dictionaryItem(std::string const& key, JSON const& value) override;
+    virtual bool arrayItem(JSON const& value) override;
+
+    bool anyErrors() const;
+
+  private:
+    enum state_e {
+        st_initial,
+        st_top,
+        st_qpdf,
+        st_qpdf_meta,
+        st_objects,
+        st_trailer,
+        st_object_top,
+        st_stream,
+        st_object,
+        st_ignore,
+    };
+
+    void containerStart();
+    void nestedState(std::string const& key, JSON const& value, state_e);
+    void setObjectDescription(QPDFObjectHandle& oh, JSON const& value);
+    QPDFObjectHandle makeObject(JSON const& value);
+    void error(qpdf_offset_t offset, std::string const& message);
+    QPDFObjectHandle reserveObject(int obj, int gen);
+    void replaceObject(
+        QPDFObjectHandle to_replace,
+        QPDFObjectHandle replacement,
+        JSON const& value);
+
+    QPDF& pdf;
+    std::shared_ptr<InputSource> is;
+    bool must_be_complete;
+    std::shared_ptr<QPDFValue::Description> descr;
+    bool errors;
+    bool parse_error;
+    bool saw_qpdf;
+    bool saw_qpdf_meta;
+    bool saw_objects;
+    bool saw_json_version;
+    bool saw_pdf_version;
+    bool saw_trailer;
+    state_e state;
+    state_e next_state;
+    std::string cur_object;
+    bool saw_value;
+    bool saw_stream;
+    bool saw_dict;
+    bool saw_data;
+    bool saw_datafile;
+    bool this_stream_needs_data;
+    std::vector<state_e> state_stack;
+    std::vector<QPDFObjectHandle> object_stack;
+    std::set<QPDFObjGen> reserved;
+};
+
 QPDF::JSONReactor::JSONReactor(
     QPDF& pdf, std::shared_ptr<InputSource> is, bool must_be_complete) :
     pdf(pdf),
     is(is),
     must_be_complete(must_be_complete),
-    descr(std::make_shared<std::variant<std::string, JSON_Descr>>(
-        JSON_Descr(std::make_shared<std::string>(is->getName()), ""))),
+    descr(std::make_shared<QPDFValue::Description>(QPDFValue::JSON_Descr(
+        std::make_shared<std::string>(is->getName()), ""))),
     errors(false),
     parse_error(false),
     saw_qpdf(false),
@@ -679,10 +745,10 @@ QPDF::JSONReactor::arrayItem(JSON const& value)
 void
 QPDF::JSONReactor::setObjectDescription(QPDFObjectHandle& oh, JSON const& value)
 {
-    auto j_descr = std::get<JSON_Descr>(*descr);
+    auto j_descr = std::get<QPDFValue::JSON_Descr>(*descr);
     if (j_descr.object != cur_object) {
         descr = std::make_shared<QPDFValue::Description>(
-            JSON_Descr(j_descr.input, cur_object));
+            QPDFValue::JSON_Descr(j_descr.input, cur_object));
     }
 
     oh.getObjectPtr()->setDescription(&pdf, descr, value.getStart());
diff --git a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFValue.hh b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFValue.hh
index 2e0c5e8d..9a1a6df1 100644
--- a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFValue.hh
+++ b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFValue.hh
@@ -14,18 +14,6 @@ class QPDF;
 class QPDFObjectHandle;
 class QPDFObject;
 
-struct JSON_Descr
-{
-    JSON_Descr(std::shared_ptr<std::string> input, std::string const& object) :
-        input(input),
-        object(object)
-    {
-    }
-
-    std::shared_ptr<std::string> input;
-    std::string object;
-};
-
 class QPDFValue
 {
     friend class QPDFObject;
@@ -37,6 +25,19 @@ class QPDFValue
     virtual std::string unparse() = 0;
     virtual JSON getJSON(int json_version) = 0;
 
+    struct JSON_Descr
+    {
+        JSON_Descr(
+            std::shared_ptr<std::string> input, std::string const& object) :
+            input(input),
+            object(object)
+        {
+        }
+
+        std::shared_ptr<std::string> input;
+        std::string object;
+    };
+
     using Description = std::variant<std::string, JSON_Descr>;
 
     virtual void