✨AI Reimagines the Masters✨ Alfred Cheney Johnston|113/1000

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Introduce briefly

Alfred Cheney Johnston (1885-1971) was an American photographer known for his portraits of Ziegfeld Follies showgirls, as well as actors and actresses from the stage and film industry. He played a significant role in capturing the glamour and beauty of the Jazz Age.

Biography:

Johnston was born in New York into an affluent banking family and later moved to Mount Vernon, New York.

Initially, he studied painting and illustration at the National Academy of Design in New York, but his attempts to establish himself as a portrait painter were not successful.

At the suggestion of Charles Dana Gibson, a renowned illustrator and family friend, Johnston turned to photography as his primary creative medium.

In 1917, he was hired by Florenz Ziegfeld, a famous New York City showman and producer, as a contracted photographer for the Ziegfeld Follies.

Johnston also operated his own successful commercial photo studio in various locations in New York City, photographing aspiring actresses, society matrons, and upscale retail products for magazine ads.

He captured hundreds of actresses and showgirls, both from the Follies and beyond, during his career.

Johnston died in a car crash near his home in Connecticut in 1971, three years after the death of his wife, Doris. They did not have any children.

Photography:

Johnston often used a large "Century" view camera that produced 11x14-inch glass-plate negatives for his indoor studio work. This allowed for extremely fine image detail.

His standard work for the Follies consisted of individual or small-group shots of showgirls in their extravagant stage costumes.

After Johnston's death, a collection of artistic full-nude and semi-nude studio photos, mainly featuring showgirls from the Ziegfeld Follies, was discovered. These images were likely his personal artistic work or done at the request of Flo Ziegfeld for his personal enjoyment.

Johnston published a book called "Enchanting Beauty" in 1937, which featured 94 black-and-white photos of showgirls. The book complied with the publishing standards of the time by airbrushing the pubic area of the images.

In 1960, Johnston donated a set of 245 large prints of his work to the Library of Congress, including nude and semi-nude photos of Follies showgirls, as well as portraits of well-known actors and actresses from the 1920s and 1930s.

Legacy:

Johnston's photographs have become highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts. Original prints and reprints from his original negatives command significant prices in auctions and galleries.