With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Alfred Cheney Johnston
Photography
1885 – 1971
Prominent portrait and Ziegfeld Follies photographer in the 1920s.
- Biography/Description of Work
At the age of 18, Alfred Cheney Johnston enrolled at The Art Students League of New York. In 1904 he transferred to the National Academy of Design in New York City then located on 109th Street, where he studied to be an illustrator. He became friends with Norman Rockwell, a fellow student. Charles Dana Gibson mentored the young Johnston. Gibson advised Alfred to begin working in photography and to capitalize on its new potential as an illustration tool. Around 1916 Alfred Cheney Johnston’s photography was brought to the attention of Florenz Ziegfeld, founder of the Ziegfeld Follies. After seeing examples of his portrait photography, Ziegfeld invited the young Johnston to become official photographer for the Follies. In 1939 Cheney and his wife decided to leave NYC and bought a 15 acre rural property in Oxford, converting the barn into studio space for her painting and his photography.
- Sources view
- http://alfredcheneyjohnston.com/blog/acj-bio/ http://historicbuildingsct.com/?p=24437
- Associated Resource(s)