Famous Black and White Photography - A Sounder Investment than Stocks?



Posted: Tuesday, June 29, 2010

by Ava Land
http://alfredcheneyjohnston.com

Famous black and white photography prints go for a lot of money in fine art photography markets. Have you ever wished you knew about an artist's work when it was low-priced enough for you to invest in before it started going up and up like a jet taking off for the wild blue yonder? Well here's your chance. The black and white photographs of Alfred Cheney Johnston, a contemporary of Edward Steichen are gathering momentum in the collector's marketplace but are still affordable.

Alfred Cheney Johnston was initially hired by Flo Ziegfeld, the creator of the Ziegfeld Follies. During the years he worked for Flo Ziegfeld, Cheney photographed the hot celebrities of the day such as - Ann Pennington, famous for her shake and quiver dance, Doris Eaton Travis, and of course Flo Ziegfeld's wife, Billie Burke, best known for her role has the good witch in the "Wizard of Oz".

Cheney shot thousands of classically posed black and white photographs. They're classically posed because of his fine art training. Johnston started out as an art student in New York City and was a protege of artist Charles Dana Gibson, who created the "Gibson Girl" modeled after his wife.

While Cheney was still in art school the relatively new medium of photography was just gaining ground as an acceptable art form. It was Gibson who brought Cheney's awareness to photography in the first place and encouraged him to experiment with it as a new way to express his artistry. Thankfully for all black and white photograph collectors, Cheney listened.

During the Jazz Age, before the big stock market crash which triggered the Great Depression of the 1930's, Alfred Cheney Johnston was in major demand. Not only was he shooting all the major stars and many of the chorus girls of the Ziegfeld Follies, he was photographing the high society of Fifth Avenue in New York City. Soon the film industry came calling hoping to hire Alfred Cheney Johnston to photograph shoot stills of their celibritys. There was a time when Johnston himself was as prominent as many of the people he photographed.

The Stock Market Crash of 1929 brought ruin all across the United States. With money tight, especially for such luxuries as going to Broadway musicals, Flo Ziegfeld was forced to close the Follies. Out of a job ACJ and his wife retreated to an old Connecticut farm where he lived out his life in complete obscurity.

Upon Cheney's death thousands of his images were discovered in his studio. An old turkey coop was found to be packed with thousands of his glass negatives. The negatives were taken to the local dump. The black and white photographs were inherited by a close friend. Eventually the total collection was sold to a dealer.

Thanks to the Internet, especially Ebay, Alfred Cheney Johnston's stunning black and white prints were offered for sale on the auction site. Slowly, Alfred Cheney Johnston's work has been regaining its once famous position in the world of photography.

Ava Land is a black and white photography enthusiast. To learn more about collecting the famous black and white photography of Alfred Cheney Johnston at affordable prices visit this link http://alfredcheneyjohnston.com/Photography.htm
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