American Historical Ephemera and Early Photography

An extensive collection of glass plate negatives and prints produced by Alfred Cheney Johnston, comprised of a variety of stage photos and formal portraits, including Ziegfeld Folly dancers and performers of the early 20th century. The bulk of the images appear to be proofs based on the weight of the paper and overall appearance. Some of the images also appear to have been used to create covers for various magazines, including Motion Picture Magazine and Photoplay.

The collection consists of the following:

8 x 10 in. glass negatives (90+) of showgirls, advertising images, society figures, nude subjects. -- 4 x 6 in. glass negatives (8) of nude subjects and showgirls. -- 11 x 14 in. glass negatives (3).

Accompanied by approx. 150 manila envelopes, size 11 x 14 inches, each inscribed with the name of the subject, containing 9 1/2 by 12 3/4 in. prints of varying condition. Subjects include actors, actress, society figures and celebrities of the 1910s and 1920s, such as:

Bebe Daniels. -- Daisy DeWitt. -- Edith Day. -- Marion Davies. -- Helen Edwards. -- Clyde Cook. -- Roberta Arnold. -- Betty Allen. -- Jane Carroll. -- Esther Bender. -- Lew Cody. -- Viola Dana. -- Carol Dempster. -- Ann Cornwall, -- Helen Dryden. -- Paulette DuVal. -- Irene Delroy. -- Anna May Donneley. -- Allan Devall. -- Peaches Browning. -- Lucille Cavanaugh. -- Renee Adoree. -- Dorothy Dalton, Muriel DeForest. -- May Collins. -- Marion Cameron. -- Helen Cosgrove. -- Jewel Carmon. -- Gaby Deslys. -- Marjorie Daw. -- Blythe Daly. -- Peggy Davis. -- Madge Bellamy. -- Miriam Collins. -- Renee Detting. -- Barbara Deane. -- Betty Blythe. -- Lily Cahill. -- Faire Binney. -- Tom Douglas. -- Florence Crane. -- Betty Darling. -- Jessica Brown. -- Betty Darling. -- Agnes Ayres.

Ziegfeld Follies include: Dolores. -- Helen Barnes. -- Katherine Burke. -- Dorothy Dickson (with husband Carl Hyson introduced Alfred Cheney Johnston to Florenz Ziegfeld in 1917). -- Mary Eaton. -- Josephine Dunn. -- Renee Adoree. -- Irene Castle.

Other notable subjects include: Mrs. Price Collins. -- Clara Beranger (silent film screenwriter and original faculty of USC School of Cinematic Arts). -- Mrs. Sidney C. Borg (founder of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York). -- Nelson Evans (Hollywood photographer). -- Bud Chandler (Tennis Star). -- Lucrezia Bori (Opera Star). -- Marion Davies (wife of wife of Randolph Hearst. -- Charles Dana Gibson (creator of the Gibson Girl in 1890). -- Dorothy Dalton. -- John Barrymore (including portraits with his wife Blanche Oelrichs and new baby Diana).

Also enclosed is a group of plates showing the same commercial view of a model posed with cigarette in hand, each approx. 11 x 9 in. One of the plates is mounted on 24 x 18 in. board with credit to both Alfred Cheney Johnston and the Color Plate Engraving Co. Johnston's signature appears twice on the board, although it is unclear if it is original or printed. An accompanying flyer promotes the work of Johnston as well as the Color Plate Engraving Co., noting, "This color photograph by Alfred Cheney Johnston as reproduced by The Color Plate Engraving Company reveals the artistic skill and perfect understanding of the workmanship of these two associates." Also included are seven (7) sample books from the Color Plate Engraving Company, each containing multiple plates of the image printed in various colors.

Accompanying the glass negatives and prints is a small group of notebooks and correspondence identified to Johnston, including: Custom receipt book containing close to 500 receipts identified to "Alfred Cheney Johnston, Inc., 114 East 47th Street, New York." Most are unused. -- 2 accounting books from the Uncas Merchants National Bank, Norwich, CT, one identified to Johnston's wife, Doris. -- Calling cards identified to "Mrs. Alfred C. Johnston." -- Holiday card from the Ziegfeld Theatre. -- A formal announcement issued by Johnston of "the removal of his studio to the Hotel des Artistes," in New York City, 1 October 1921. -- 2 typed letters addressed to Alfred Cheney Johnston from Madeleine Janis Courter, President of the Ziegfeld Club, Inc., dated 8 August 1968 and 5 September 1968. Courter discusses the Walter Reade Agency's plans to construct a new Ziegfeld Theatre and the agency's wishes to include Johnston's photographs of the Ziegfeld Follies in the displays. -- A group of approx. 5 letters written to Alfred Cheney Johnston and his wife Doris, highlighted by a September 1938 letter addressed to "Cheney," from a woman named "Jeanie," expressing interest in posing for Johnston. She writes, "I'd love to pose for you Cheney and instead of money you could pay me in photographs..." She also references a "Mr. Pagano" three times, indicating that he will be "...letting me off for two or three days to make a short of Vitaphone..."

Born into an affluent New York banking family, Alfred Cheney Johnston initially studied painting and illustration at the National Academy of Design in New York. After graduating in 1908, he struggled to achieve success as a portrait painter and was reportedly advised by Charles Dana Gibson, a longtime family friend and illustrator, to explore the medium of photography to record his subjects. 

Around 1917, Johnston was introduced to New York City impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, who hired him on a contractual basis to photograph the Ziegfeld Follies. Johnston’s relationship with Ziegfeld extended until his death in 1932. He also operated personal commercial photo studios in New York city, where he photographed a variety of subjects ranging from Broadway stars and aspiring actors and actresses to Hollywood legends and society elites. Additionally, Johnston worked in commercial photography, producing images used in product advertisements. In 1960, he donated a set of 245 large prints of his work to the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Johnston died in a car crash in Connecticut in April 1971, and since his passing, a considerable amount of his prints and negatives have appeared at auction, much of it purchased by private collectors. (Information obtained from the Middlebury College Museum of Art website.)

The present collection represents what is almost certainly one of the largest selections of negatives and prints produced by Alfred Cheney Johnston to come to market in recent decades.