ALFRED CHENEY JOHNSTON, The Making of the Book JAZZ AGE BEAUTIES, # 6

Richard Ziegfeld was a firestorm of enthusiasm. He was thrilled to hear about the Johnston book project at ABRAMS, and was pleased to offer his support or advice. We talked about his own Ziegfeld research, the process of working with ABRAMS, and of course, what he and his wife Paulette had learned about Alfred Cheney Johnston. With Richard passionate about all things Ziegfeld, and me passionate about all things ACJ, we ended up talking on the phone well past midnight into the morning hours.
Johnston’s splendid photographs are a constant thread throughout “The Ziegfeld Touch,” though unfortunately many of them were reproduced in sizes just a bit larger than postage stamps. He told me that he found most of them at the New York Public Library, filed not under Johnston, but under individual performer’s names. In the back of the book he listed the Ziegfeld “cast of characters” of which Johnston was one. Of special interest was a comment about Johnston stating that he required punctuality for his photographic sittings. According to Richard and Paulette’s research, the photographer “crossed you off his list” if you didn’t arrive on time!!
“The Ziegfeld Touch” would become an invaluable resource for JAZZ AGE BEAUTIES. Richard and Paulette had spent YEARS researching every detail of the history of Florenz Ziegfeld and the Ziegfeld Follies. Details like show dates, performer’s bios, behind the scenes show productions costs, advertising, interviews with Ziegfeld relatives, facts about his creative production staff, and page after page of marvelous visuals from the shows. In the coming years, I would return to it over and over again…
When I asked him if he had ever found any correspondence related to ACJ, such as bills sent to Ziegfeld or business related letters, Richard told me that he had just missed a couple of potential treasure troves of such items during his research. One, was a storage warehouse filled with Ziegfeld related items that went up in flames a few years before he began his research. The other was Ziegfeld’s old law firm, who just a short time before Richard’s call, had decided to destroy all of the old paperwork related to Ziegfeld court cases. Both would have been priceless finds, and in both cases, much history was lost.
Our conversation turned to the process of creating books and selling them. Richard’s and Paulette’s experience became a grueling one that cost them far more than their advance funds. Research, fact checking, obtaining images, laying out the book, arguing over design and layout all took its toll. “If I had it to do over again, I would go a more commercial publisher,” he concluded.
“Maybe you’ll want to check with other publishers. ABRAMS may not be the best fit for your book. They sell to institutions and not the mass marketplace…they print 150 titles a year and only devote 1 week to PR for each title. That hurt us. I ended up having to hire a publicity agent for $10,000, and even then the we didn’t reach the mainstream like we should have.”

ALFRED CHENEY JOHNSTON, The Making of the Book JAZZ AGE BEAUTIES, # 5

I gradually found that I was at an extreme disadvantage in attempting to negotiate a book deal with ABRAMS. If I had had an agent, the process of finding out if they were serious about publishing a book on Alfred Cheney Johnston would have been swift because an agent would have only given them a limited time to make up their minds. I would have found out fairly quickly if I had a deal. But on my own, I was at the mercy of their time schedule. Christoper was “their“ messenger, and although he was adamant about publishing the book right away, it became obvious very soon, that someone else was pulling the strings.
I hadn’t put all of my eggs in one basket though…I had also made contact with McFarland & Company, Inc. located in Jefferson, North Carolina. They expressed interest in a book on Johnston almost immediately. Had I known how much of my time ABRAMS was going to consume, I think I would have considered McFarland more seriously. The main issue with McFarland, was that the photography reproductions in their books wasn’t anywhere close to the fine art quality of ABRAMS. McFarland published fine books about silent film stars by very reputable authors such as Eve Golden, but the focus wasn‘t on the print quality. Photographs were treated as documents supporting the text. I knew that Johnston’s magnificent images had to be treated like works of art and that they had to be printed by the best printer I could find- printed on the finest quality paper as duotones or full color reproductions.
A committee of people was going to make the decision about the Johnston book- Christopher would be making a presentation to them on Tuesday. Tuesday’s in the publishing world, at least at ABRAMS, was the day editors and Marketing and PR people all got together to make presentations or check the progress of projects in development. After his first meeting with the committee, Christopher told me that we needed to research certain information and then he would get back to the committee in 2 weeks or so and make another presentation.
The problem is that this began to drag on as a pattern over many months. Christopher reiterated that ABRAMS was going to publish the book, while at the same time, he was asking me to provide him with more information and details….about my research, ACJ collectors, image banks, possible writers to co-write my essay, etc….all with no contract. Every few weeks or so, he would re-present the project to the committee. I naively continued on in this manner believing it would all be worth it to see the beautiful coffee table book on Alfred Cheney Johnston that I was envisioning.
I learned later that the world of book publishing of the 21st century had gotten much smaller and less friendly toward large volume art books than in the Paul Gottlieb glory years of the 1980’s. Many of the smaller publishers had closed or been acquired by larger ones who wanted a sure thing- guaranteed profits. To complicate the process, in the case of photography books publishers wanted the whole “package” to be ready for them. By “package” I mean, they wanted the author to give them the entire book, ready to go- with quality essays written by renowned persons from renowned institutions and a collection of images ready for press.
During the entire ABRAMS experience, I continued my ACJ research and worked hard to make contact with more resource people. Nils Hanson, at the Ziegfeld Club of New York was absolutely my best source for contacts. During the ABRAMS debacle (as I now view it), Nils suggested I contact his friend Richard Ziegfeld…He was a distant cousin of Flo Ziegfeld, and with his wife Paulette, had worked with Paul Gottlieb on a coffee table book in the 1980’s called “The Ziegfeld Touch.” I gave him a call….

ALFREED CHENEY JOHNSTON, The Making of the Book JAZZ AGE BEAUTIES, #4

The loss of Paul Gottlieb on June 5, 2002 at age 67, it was a serious blow to the art lovers of the world. His era with HARRY N. ABRAMS contained a long list of accomplishments and he alone was most responsible for developing their reputation for beautiful art books. Some of the last books during his tenure included Joseph Cornell, Ann Hamilton, Janet Fish and Phillip Pearlstein, the remarkable figurative painter. Gottlieb saw the value of creating and promoting art books as catalogues in conjunction with gallery or museum shows. ABRAMS book about Andrew Wyeth’s “Helga Series” of portraits sold over 500,000 copies after it was published in 1987. It was a highlight of his career.
One final note about Paul Gottlieb. He was a friend to artists and writers. In April of 2002, he was named executive director of APERATURE, publisher of photographic monographs. He became chairman of the Academy of American Poets, and he was a member of the board of MOMA for many years. Carol Brevant, in her internet article about Paul for “A Footprint We Leave Behind” quoted him…”My observation is that most people who succeed at anything encounter adversity of some kind and learn to transcend it.” And about art, he observed: “Art is one of the few continuums of the human experience; when you look at all civilizations, each produces art; it’s a kind of footprint we leave behind.”
A week or so later I got an email from Senior Editor Christopher Sweet. He mentioned that Eric Himmel had passed my material on to him. He was very excited about my proposal and said he would like to talk to me about publishing a book on Alfred Cheney Johnston. The last line of his email read “And, I want to purchase one of Johnston’s photographs!” I was not surprised Johnston had found another fan.
Christopher Sweet specialized in books on photographers…Especially books on “lost” photographers. I could tell right away that he had “a good eye.” I had sent him a number of copies of Johnston’s photographs, and he earmarked one photo in particular for its stunning artistry- a semi-nude of Norma Shearer. We both agreed that it was remarkable in its beauty and composition. Sweet, an artist himself, clearly responded to Johnston’s artistic sensibilities as I had originally done.
The Shearer photograph had the same magnificent “presence” as the Rube de Remer “artist model” photograph. I could easily imagine Shearer posed and draped on a modeling throne in Johnston‘s studio. When I later acquired copies of Johnston’s art school records from the Art Students League of New York and the National Academy of Design, I found that he had indeed taken life classes with posed nude models. An historian at the National Academy told me that in those days students would paint from the nude in open north light studios all day long. Instructors walked through the studios and critiqued the young artist’s work. In addition, it was customary in the turn of the century art schools to have French academicians teach American artists the use of drapery. And after learning the techniques the students themselves draped models for the class to draw. Johnston must have learned the art of drapery well, and loved doing it, because it became his trademark.
I proceeded to begin a series of discussions with Christopher Sweet. We discussed the type of book Christopher was envisioning (a monograph), where to locate Johnston‘s work, the size of the book and number of photographs (200-250), the type of essay I would write(60 pages), a timetable for producing the book, and of course, a contract. We both agreed that it was going to be a magnificent art book. Everything seemed to be falling smoothly into place. I acted as my own agent. But it wasn’t long before I was regretting that I didn‘t have one.

ALFRED CHENEY JOHNSTON, The Making of the Book JAZZ AGE BEAUTIES, # 3

So in 2002, I called ABRAMS Books in New York. As far as I was concerned, they were THE BEST publisher for creating stunning art books. I also knew that they had a reputation in the 1980’s and 90’s for being “accessible“ to writers with ideas. I had called them on a whim about 10 years earlier when I had a different idea for a book- a coffee table book on “The Art of Figure Skating.” I simply called their main number, and very directly asked to speak to Paul Gottlieb, a name I had found in one of my coffee table art books at home. Paul must have been in the mood for talking, or sensed my idealistic spirit because we talked for a good 30-45 minutes about the merits of the idea and the possibilities for publishing it. He was a perfect first contact in the publishing world- warm, engaging, creative…and sensitive to my feelings when explaining why the book couldn’t be published. Basically, he said I was a few years too late, that the craze for figure skating had passed, and too many other books had iced the market rink. But in parting, he said very genuinely, “Call me again if you have another great idea.”
So on a Friday, I called and asked for Paul Gottlieb but he was out and I was given his voice mail. I left a brief message recounting our previous contact and told him I had another proposal for him. I wasn’t prepared for what came next….
My wife Ellie and I were spending a typical Sunday morning, leisurely sipping tea and listening to our favorite news magazine program- SUNDAY MORNING on CBS, when a reporter announced: “This weekend, Paul Gottlieb, from ABRAMS Books and creator of many fine art books, died at his home in Manhattan…”
About a week or two later, I got a call from Eric Himmel, the editor who succeeded Paul Gottlieb. He asked about my call, and then requested that I send my proposal on Alfred Cheney Johnston to him so that ABRAMS could review them. I sent the materials off, but was saddened by the loss of Gottlieb, and the chance of possibly being able to work with him on the Alfred Cheney Johnston book. He struck had me as a remarkable man. Strange how the events in life can change so quickly, I thought….

ALFRED CHENEY JOHNSTON- The Making of the Book JAZZ AGE BEAUTIES, # 2

One of the first Alfred Cheney Johnston photographs I saw on ebay was this incredibly striking portrait of a young woman named Ruby de Remer posed with an artist’s palette and brush. It really caught my attention. Why? Because after years and years of studying Photography in art school and graduate school, it was the first photograph I came upon that literally integrated the world of art with photography. And the image in a small way, seemed to “paint” a portrait of the artist-photographer himself…it is one of the images that sparked a desire to learn more about him. Why did he use the palette as a prop? Was it Johnston’s? Had he studied Painting? Who was the model? Was it his wife Doris? Had he stepped away from his easel, and handed her the palette and brush to hold? Had she challenged him to paint his portrait, turning the tables on Johnston while he photographed her? Fanciful theories, but what was the truth?
Like the first Johnston portrait I had seen on ebay (that story is in JAZZ AGE BEAUTIES), the composition of this photograph was dramatic and exciting. It is beautifully designed with the lines of the various elements keeping your eyes constantly moving. It all begins with the profile line of her back at lower left which leads your eye to the tip of the bandana and to the curve of her hair ricocheting to the back of her head and on to the profile of her upturned face. From there, her face and gaze, along with the diagonal brush handle and forearm direct your vision to the tip of the brush…suggesting painting and the creative process. Finally, your eyes move along the paint on the palette interactively, following the right edge down to the bottom curve and back again to her lower back. It is a complete composition. It reminded me of the nude studies by the painters Bonnard, and Mattisse. And it also reminded me of all the hours I had spent in Life Drawing and Anatomy classes drawing the nude model.
Over the course of the next 3-4 years, I began to slowly gather information about the elusive Alfred Cheney Johnston, entirely on the internet, and almost exclusively on ebay. I studied every ACJ print I could find. I emailed sellers and buyers and learned whatever I could. I followed leads people gave me, no matter how obscure or ridiculous. I began to call people and start interviewing people on the phone…The old quote by Ulysess held true for me- the more I searched, the more I began to find, the more the world of Alfred Cheney Johnston opened up to me.
Although I still didn’t have an overwhelming amount of information, the idea for a book about Alfred Cheney Johnston steadily began to materialize…I begin to envision an oversized coffee table art book like the ones I had been inspired by while in art school…a magnificently illustrated book like the one I had on Rembrandt….the name of the publisher… ABRAMS of New York. I decided to give them a call…

ALFRED CHENEY JOHNSTON- The making of the book JAZZ AGE BEAUTIES

Hello Blog Reader- My name is Bob Hudovernik. If you have ever wondered about the process of how a non-fiction photography book gets published, you may be interested in reading my blog. This is the story behind my book JAZZ AGE BEAUTIES- The Collection of Lost Ziegfeld Photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston. It's the story of how it was written and how it got published. The book is scheduled to be released in late February of 2006 and will be available on ebay, through internet bookstores and in chain stores like Walmart and Barnes & Noble.

From the first idea for the book, to my research and early drafts I'll recount it all...from contacting potential publishers and agents to the frustrations of rejection and failure, from the joy of finally finding a publisher and then being rejected again...to then finding a new publisher. I'll tell your about the travails of working with an editor and developing a final draft, to the design and layout of the entire book of photographs - I'll tell it you all! And if you have any questions or comments I'll be happy to discuss them with you. Please, feel free to join in...it is my hope that you learn a thing or two about getting published too, and of course, I hope that you enjoy learning about the work of Alfred Cheney Johnston, the photographer that I spent seven years of my life researching and writing about.

So here goes....Back in 1998, I belatedly learned about the new phenomena internet site ebay. A local antique dealer in the small town of Cascade, Wisconsin near where my wife Ellie and I lived, "clued me into" ebay. "It's a great place to buy and sell things," she said. "You just won't believe what's going on there. And wait till you see the prices things are going for." It didn't take me long to see ebay's potential. I quickly learned how to surf the various categories in the Photography section, my main area of interest. I had been collecting antique photographs and cameras since the 1970's while I was attending Layton School of Art & Design in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and I absolutely loved Photography- especially the antique...the antique images revealed other worlds to me...stereoviews from China, or a World's Fair, or Victorian weddings....vintage prints of unknown people in albums, soft focus faces staring out of a grainy halation making them hard to see. Each had a story to tell...but no one had told them.

In the ebay Photography section I found thousands of such images to discover. Not just a few in a drawer at an antique shop, but an absolute stockpile of vintage prints. I began to buy and sell them on ebay, and I also began to create a personal collection of images, refining my interest into specialty areas, particularly, unusual human interest shots, artistic compostions, theatrical, and artist related. The experience of collecting them was absolutely exhilarating.

Sometime well into 1998 I came across my first Alfred Cheney Johnston photograph. I was absolutely stunned by the beauty of it. Others followed and I was smitten by the artistry of his work. In my next entry, I'll show you one of the early photos I was taken with and why.... BH