An Afternoon With Alfred Cheney Johnston

Just released a 22 page interview with Dick Robertson who in the mid-1960's had the fortunate opportunity to spend an afternoon with reknown Ziegfeld Follies photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston.

Throughout that visit Alfred Cheney Johnston talked about the many women he'd photographed over the years including the stars of the Ziegfled Follies stage and the nude bride portraits.

Cheney also talked about his photo techniques and showed Mr. Robertson around his Oxford, CT studio.

A real firsthand dip into this master photographer's life and portraiture. For more information on the interview click here http://alfredcheneyjohnston.com/Afternoon_With_Alfred_Cheney_Johnston.htm

Blog A Go-Go

What follows is a blog posting from Blog A Go-Go. I just discovered the blog last night and find the writer's entries interesting and fascinating; her writing is amazingly facile. I encourage you to check it out.

November 24, 2007
I have just devoured one of the most beautiful books I have ever seen. It's Jazz Age Beauties: The Lost Collection of Ziegfeld Photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston and it is magnificent. It was written by Robert Hudovernik, which you would hardly know from looking at the cover. (His name is in modestly tiny print, melding into the bare thigh of the lace-draped model in the photograph.) If you are one of those shy, wallflower types who think the undraped female form is inherently indecent, I beg you to log off now and go lie down. If, however, you can appreciate the artistic nude, then read on.

The subject matter of Johnston's photographs would have been compelling even if they had been fully clothed. The Ziegfeld girls were legend in the Jazz Age, shattering the wholesome allure of the Gibson Girl and bringing a spicy eroticism to the commercialization of the female image. As Hudovernik points out, Ziegfeld perfected the girls in his Follies, each year choosing the very best from the thousands who auditioned, selecting the most beautiful gems to sparkle on his stage. At first they were petite, with small breasts and tiny feet. Later, Ziegfeld began casting taller, more statuesque, deep-bosomed girls, the forerunners of the Vegas showgirls. Ziegfeld girls were the first to carry off enormous headresses, to bedeck themselves in electric lights, to enter riding ostriches and horses, or to strut down glass catwalks suspended above the theatre-goers' heads. Draped in furs and feathers and jewels, they conjured a thousand fantasies, and made most of them come true.

They lived large, the Ziegfeld girls, and there were whispers of a curse. Many of them died in tragic circumstances, some at appallingly young ages. They ran through lovers and husbands like so many uncut diamonds slipping through their fingers, and they spent money with abandon, wrecking fortunes and wasting their own beauty. Some were damaged in car accidents, some committed suicide; there was one who died from lacing her corset too tightly, and another from a heart complaint brought on by dancing too much. They burned brightly and for a very short time, but in those heady, extravagant years, Alfred Cheney Johnston captured their luminosity on film.

The pictures themselves are a revelation. If you thought that beauty in art ended with "The Mona Lisa", you have only to look at one of his photographs to have your faith restored. For all that he was photographing the most notorious nudes of the day, Johnston clearly kept a reverent eye upon the composition and lighting of his photographs. He was reputedly inspired by the curved forms in nature--the curl of a wave upon the shore, the arch in a nautilus shell--and that is apparent by the perfection of line in his models. They described how Johnston would gently adjust and re-adjust the composition until it was perfect, the line of one limb leading to another, until the eye was drawn back to the face. That fact alone saves the photographs from being prurient. There are hundreds of photos in the book; only a mere handful show full frontal nudity, and even those are as tasteful as any Grecian goddess. There is even an observation from a gentleman who visited Johnston's studio as an impressionable boy of eight. He noticed the naked images of women stacked around the room, and his assumption was that they were angels. It is an easy mistake to make; the quality of the light is ethereal and caressing, and there is something completely untouchable about these women.

One curator, viewing the collection, said that they were so beautiful, they made him shiver. One sympathizes. It is impossible to look through the book without being moved by so much beauty in one place. So, when the world seems like a harsh and ungentle one, find a copy of this book and immerse yourself in a time that was much more glamorous and infinitely interesting. Me, I'm going to find an ostrich to ride.

from Blog A Go-Go

Just Released New "Follies Gold" CD

NOW AVAILABLE- "FOLLIES GOLD!!!"- A NEW ID AND PRICE GUIDE CD OF THE VISUAL HISTORY OF THE FOLLIES OF THE WORLD, INCLUDING AMERICA'S OWN ZIEGFELD FOLLIES AND ITS 100th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION (1907-2007)!!

Experience the artistic genius of some of the most creative visual designers and photographers of the Victorian era and Jazz Age. Discover the source for the of the inspiration for the Ziegfeld Follies in America and Hollywood glamour. Who was "The Ziegfeld Girl and what was her mystique?" Who was the man who created her, and the photographer that brought his vision to life? How did fashion designers influence Florenz Ziegfeld? And conversely, how did the Ziegfeld girl influence American Beauty Culture? Time travel with this CD to a daring era of remarkable beauty and unflappable elegance!!!

http://alfredcheneyjohnston.com/Follies_Gold.htm

All across the United States, Americans have been celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Ziegfeld Follies. Included on this CD are some of the stories of the grandchildren of Ziegfeld Girls and their searches to learn more about their illustrious relative. Learn of amazing new discoveries in Ziegfeld research, and celebrate along with The Ziegfeld Club of New York and learn about their organization and mission to preserve Ziegfeld Follies history!!

A PERFECT GIFT for art lovers, fashion designers, theatre history aficionados, photographers, artists, designers, theatre historians, graphic artists or lovers of the Ziegfeld Follies!!

http://alfredcheneyjohnston.com/Follies_Gold.htm

HERE'S WHAT YOU GET ON THIS STUNNING NEW CD:

INTRODUCTION- Overview of CD and History of Follies in the World
GALLERY I- Folies Bergere
GALLERY II- Casino de Paris
GALLERY III- Moulin Rouge & other shows
GALLERY IV- The Ziegfeld Follies, War and Beauty article, vintage articles about the Ziegfeld Girl, unique photographs of Ziegfeld girls, shows, costumes.
GALLERY V- Alfred Cheney Johnston, A Photographer of the Follies- Bob Hudovernik's 7 year research on the artistic photographer for the Ziegfeld Follies and his book JAZZ AGE BEAUTIES. Newly discovered Johnston Ziegfeld Girl photographs, as well as George White's Scandals and Earl Carrioll shows
GALLERY VI- The Art of the Follies, Posters, Programs, Sheet Music- ID and Price Guide to the stunning graphic designs created for Follies promotions.
GALLERY VII- The 100th Anniversary Celebration- The Ziegfled Club of New York and their mission, Author Lauren Redniss and her book CENTURY GIRL about 103 year old Ziegfeld Girl Doris Eaton Travis. Writer Kirk Taylor and his research of Wesely Morse, a cartoonist who fell in love with his Ziegfeld girl grandmother.
GALLERY VIII- PRICE GUIDE TO COLLECTING, RESOURCE GUIDE, Researcher Jane Rasa and her quest to bring the Ziegfeld Follies history to all to enjoy.

http://alfredcheneyjohnston.com/Follies_Gold.htm

FREE EBOOK WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE

Hello Everyone, it's Labor Day 2007 , late afternoon and hopefully everyone has had a terrific long weekend and you are all arriving home safe and sound. Just a note to let you know that I've put together a FREE EBOOK on 17 of Alfred Cheney Johnston's photographic techniques. Just sign up for the Alfred Cheney Johnston Newsletter and the ebook will be your's in a matter of minutes.
Even though my book "Jazz Age Beauties" has been published I continue to do research into the work of ACJ. In the 17 PHOTO SECRETS of Cheney's work I've brought to light what I've gleaned from the study of his amazing images.

What's In A Name?

When I started getting serious about writing a book on Alfred Cheney Johnston I felt I needed a working title to help keep me anchored to ACJ’s story as I researched and wrote the essays. I settled upon “The Line of Beauty”. The line of beauty is a classic principle historically taught in fine art schools. As I wrote in my essay about ACJ’s use of the line of beauty, “…this compositional theory based on the idea that curvilinear forms in nature, such as of an incoming wave or a nautilus shell, are more beautiful than non-curving forms.” Look at almost any photograph Alfred Cheney Johnston took and you will see his utilization of “the line of beauty”.
Shortly after signing my book contract my editor wanted us to brainstorm some title ideas for what the publisher had decided would be the definitive book on Alfred Cheney Johnston. Of course the “only” title I wanted was ‘The Line of Beauty”. I sensed immediately that this did not resonate with the publishing house. Besides, upon doing a search on my title idea it was discovered it had already been taken. A book had just come out with that exact title. It was on the Thatcher government in England. To this day I fail to understand the connection between “the line of beauty” and English government.
That’s not to say that we still couldn’t have gone ahead and used that title but the publisher feared from a marketing standpoint it would cause confusion amongst the buying public. Alas I had to say good-bye to the title I had my heart set upon, “The Line of Beauty”. Building a book, after all, is a communal process between publisher, editor, the marketing department and the author. You win some and you lose some but in the end everyone’s aim is to put out a beautiful book that catches the eye as well as the imagination of the public. And the title of a book is one of it’s most important calling cards.

A COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO ALFRED CHENEY JOHNSTON

Long before I ever thought of approaching a "real" publisher about writing a book on Alfred Cheney Johnston, I decided I would try my hand at self-publishng a collector's guide on ACJ's incredible work. At the time I wasn't very computer savy so I in effect produced a handmade price guide. It was a labor of love so I didn't mind all the hands on work it entailed. When I finally had my "master" compiled I had about 100 pages. I would take those master sheets to a nearby copy center and xerox the pages setting it up so each sheet of paper was printed on both sides. No easy task to figure out how to do that but with a little experimentation I got the hang of it. I brought the pages home and using a binding machine I'd purchased I would spiral bind the individual hard copies of "A Collector's Guide To Alfred Cheney Johnston". Eventually and thankfully a friend told me about a new phonomena sweeping the Internet....EBOOKS! I was given a whirlwind explanation of how to create a digital ebook and before long I had translated all my information and images from my master hardcopy into an ebook that could be read off a CD-ROM. You can read more about this price guide with its 600 plus images organized into 6 distintive galleries at http://alfredcheneyjohnston.com/Catalog.htm

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.”