The famous photographs of Art Deco photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston were virtually lost to history. In the 1920's ACJ was one of the most prominent photographers in America. As the chief photographer for the Ziegfeld Follies Johnston had entrйe to photographing some of the most gorgeous and prominent women in the world.
Since the late 1990's a growing number of people have been running across Cheney Johnston's prints on the internet where they're now being sold. His famous photographs are becoming more and more collectible. If you too are thinking of collecting his work, here are several for identifying authentic ACJ prints.
1. Lighting was a big part of ACJ's work. Some called him the Rembrandt of Photography. His early prints have a glow to them. This is caused by a combination of light, hisglass plate negatives not nearly being sensitive enough, long exposures and the camera lens being too soft. This resulted in what's known as halation-in other words the glow of the print image. As Alfred Cheney Johnston perfected the medium of photography over the course of his career, his lighting technique grew more and more refined in time offering up ever more detail in his photographic prints.
2. Cheney's images have a undeniable innocence to them. This was achieved by how he positioned the model especially the hands. Look at enough ACJ images and after awhile you can easily identify his prints by how the hands of the person sitting for him are posed. This attention to the position of the hands came from his classical training in fine art.
3. Seeing Alfred Cheney Johnston was the head photographer for the Ziegfeld Follies this meant he shot a lot of the Follies' stars and chorus girls in their stage costumes. That meant using a lot of props. Again, over time Johnston grew more and more skillful at designing masterful sittings by paying strict attention to how he posed the model and what props he included and where he placed them.
Besides photographing the Follies Girls,there were the stars of the burgeoning movie business out in Los Angeles. From Lillian Gish to Fanny Brice, from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Eddie Cantor, from Louise Brooks, a.k.a. "Lulu"- the Madonna of the Art Deco Era to Flo Ziegfeld's wife, Bille Burke best known as Glenda the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz, ACJ photographed an array of famous people. In fact, during his hey-day, Alfred Cheney Johnston was nearly as famous for his extraordinary work as the celebrities who posed for him.
The Great Depression brought Cheney's career to a screeching end. Money dried up, the Ziegfeld Follies folded and Johnston found himself out of lucrative work.. Thankfully the internet brought Alfred Cheney Johnston's work back to the public's attention.
Ava Land is a black and white photography enthusiast. To learn more about collecting the famous photographs of Alfred Cheney Johnston at affordable prices visit this link http://alfredcheneyjohnston.com/Photography.htm