Finding Aid and container lists for the Frances Benjamin Johnston photograph collection.

              FINDING
AID
FOR
FRANCES
BENJAMIN
JOHNSTON
COLLECTION
THE
HUNTINGTON
LIBRARY
Call
No.:
photCL
352
Name
of
Collection:
Frances
Benjamin
Johnston
Collection
Size:
1276
single
photographs
in
12
boxes;
Approximately
1217
(8x10
in.)
glass
plate
negatives
in
59
boxes
and
61
(11x14
and
14x17
in.)
glass
plate
negatives
in
6
boxes.
Time
Period:
1895-­‐1906.
Provenance:
Purchased
by
Henry
E.
Huntington
from
Frances
B.
Johnston,
1924.
Summary
Description:
Frances
Benjamin
Johnston
(1864-­‐1952)
was
a
photographer
whose
prodigious
career
spanned
six
decades
and
whose
lens
captured
a
vast
array
of
topics.
A
woman
of
immense
drive
and
energy,
she
is
most
commonly
referred
to
as
the
first
female
photojournalist.
However,
she
was
also
a
charter
member
of
the
Photo-­‐Secession,
exhibiting
her
pictorialist
work
in
a
wide
variety
of
salons
and
shows;
she
was
a
businesswoman
who
operated
her
own
Washington,
DC
portrait
studio
and
later,
in
New
York
City,
a
studio
devoted
to
architectural
photography;
she
was
the
recipient
of
awards
and
accolades
and
served
as
a
mentor
-­‐
particularly
through
her
published
essays
and
private
correspondence
-­‐
to
countless
women
who
aspired
to
her
profession;
and
she
was
a
peripatetic
soul
whose
travels
in
the
United
States
and
abroad
resulted
in
a
tremendous
body
of
work
concentrating
primarily
on
architecture
and
gardens
(the
fruit
of
her
later
years).
The
Frances
B.
Johnston
Collection
has
as
its
focus
the
portrait
work
of
Johnston’s
earlier
Washington
years.
The
photographs
arrived
at
the
Huntington
in
1924
when,
after
persistent
negotiations,
she
sold
some
1200
glass
plate
negatives
and
her
"catalogue
set
of
blue
prints"
to
Henry
E.
Huntingotn
and
his
library
for
several
thousand
dollars.*
In
her
correspondence
with
the
librarian,
George
Watson
Cole,
Johnston
described
the
collection
as
"portraits
of
famous
men
and
women
and
historic
events...through
the
administrations
of
Benj.
Harrison,
Cleveland,
McKinley,
Roosevelt
and
Taft"
which
she
deemed
to
possess
"ultimate
historic
value
and
interest."
Indeed,
this
collection
of
cyanotypes
(with
some
gelatin
and
finished,
platinum
prints)
focuses
largely
on
the
stream
of
socialites,
diplomats,
Presidents,
senators,
reformers,
Supreme
Court
Justices,
artists,
authors
and
other
important
figures
who
flowed
through
Johnston's
well-­‐appointed
studio
at
the
turn-­‐of-­‐the-­‐
century.
In
addition
there
is
an
excellent
series
of
views,
largely
interior
shots,
of
Washington's
embassies,
legations
and
famous
residences
which
Johnston
photographed
for
a
series
of
articles
in
Demorest's
Family
Magazine.
The
remainder
of
the
collection
is
comprised
of
a
sundry
group
of
images
including
copies
of
Matthew
Brady's
daguerreotypes
(most
unidentified)
belonging
to
the
War
Department,
various
treaties
and
official
documents,
a
set
of
Abraham
Lincoln
ephemera
intended
to
illustrate
Ida
Tarbell's
Life
of
Lincoln
and
some
views
of
the
Bell
Telephone.
What
follows
is
a
general
description
of
the
photographs
in
the
Johnston
Collection
according
to
their
numerical
and
subject
arrangement.
*For
more
detailed
information
about
the
events
surrounding
this
transaction,
please
refer
to
an
article
by
Jennifer
A.
Watts
entitled
"The
Frances
Benjamin
Johnston
Portrait
Collection
at
the
Huntington
Library.”
History
of
Photography.
Vol.
19,
No.
3.
August
1995,
252-­‐262.
Boxes
1-­‐8
photCL
352
(1-­‐931)
Portraiture,
1895-­‐1905
These
images
span
the
length
of
Johnston's
major
portraiture
years,
beginning
in
1895
with
23
shots
of
the
first
sitter
in
her
studio,
Frances
Hodgson
Burnett,
and
including
a
series
of
Supreme
Court
Justices
which
Johnston
made
in
1905.
The
sitters
are
divided
into
the
following
categories
and
finding
guides
are
available
according
to
these
topics:
Presidents,
Cabinet
members,
Senators,
House
members,
Supreme
Court
Justices,
Diplomats,
State
Department
employees,
Women,
Government
Commissions,
and
Portraits
(including
authors,
artists,
poets,
children
-­‐essentially
all
those
who
are
not
affiliated
with
the
government
either
by
direct
appointment
or
marriage).
The
large
format
portraits
are
housed
in
Box
12.
Box
9
photCL
352
(932-­‐1048)
Government
Commissions,
Events,
and
Group
Portraits;
Brady
Daguerreotypes;
Documents
and
Treaties;
Miscellaneous
Views.
#932-­‐950
Group
Commissions,
Events,
and
Group
Portraits,
1889-­‐1908.
Portraits
of
government
groups
such
as
the
U.S.
Mint
employees
(1889),
Senate
Military
Affairs
Committee
(1891),
Assistant
Secretaries
of
the
Treasury
(1901),
and
the
U.S.
Delegates
to
the
Pan-­‐American
Congress
(1906);
Views
of
government
commissions
including
the
Venezuelan
Commission
(1896),
Samoan
Commission
(1899),
First
and
Second
Philippine
Commissions
(1899,
1900),
Chinese
High
Commission,
Presidential
Commission
to
receive
Prince
Henry;
Views
related
to
the
Presidential
administration
of
William
McKinley
such
as
his
Cabinet
(1901),
the
second
inauguration
(1901),
the
Pan-­‐American
Exposition
(including
the
last
photograph
of
McKinley
before
he
was
assassinated
at
this
even
in
1901),
and,
later,
a
series
of
the
unveiling
ceremonies
at
the
McKinley
Memorial
in
Canton,
Ohio
(1907);
Other
ceremonial
events
include
the
unveiling
of
the
Rochambeau
Statue
by
President
Theodore
Roosevelt
in
Lafayette
Square
(1902),
and
laying
the
cornerstone
for
the
Pan
American
Union
Building
(1908),
also
by
President
Roosevelt.
Additional
events
include
the
Exchange
of
Warrents
for
the
Philippines
(1899),
and
the
Opening
of
the
60th
U.S.
Congress
(1907).
For
large
format
group
portraits
and
government
events
refer
to
Box
13.
#999-­‐1006
Matthew
B.
Brady
Daguerreotypes
from
the
War
Department
Collections.
Cyanotype
copies
of
Brady
daguerreotypes
of
male
sitters,
many
unidentified,
which
Johnston
made
from
the
originals
in
the
War
Department
collections.
There
are
identified
portraits
of
Henry
Clay,
George
Custis,
John
M.
Clayton,
William
L.
Dayton,
and
Winfield
Scott.
#1007-­‐1009
Portraits
of
Confederacy
Officers
Cyanotype
copies
of
eighteen
portraits
in
the
War
Department
collections.
Six
small
head-­‐and-­‐shoulder
views
are
included
on
each
8x10
inch
negative
(three
in
all).
All
the
men
are
identified.
#1010-­‐1030
Documents,
letters,
and
treaties
from
the
State
Department
Archives.
A
variety
of
original
texts
which
Johnston
photographed
(possibly
for
an
article?)
including
the
Articles
of
Confederation,
the
Oaths
of
Allegiance,
the
Treaty
of
Paris,
Treaty
and
Seal
of
George
I,
Treaty
of
the
War
of
1812,
C.A.
Dana
letter,
Signature
Treaty
of
the
Mexican
War,
Acts
of
the
51st
Congress,
and
John
Quincy
Adams’
passport
among
other
documents,
some
unidentified.
#1031-­‐1037
Items
related
to
Abraham
Lincoln
This
series
was
taken
by
Johnston
to
illustrate
Ida
Tarbell’s
book,
The
Life
of
Abraham
Lincoln
[1903].
The
images
include
a
portrait
of
Abraham
Lincoln
and
Tad
(Meserve
39),
Lincoln’s
chair
and
his
Bible,
documents
and
products
with
Lincoln
labels.
Most
of
the
items
were
probably
in
the
War
Department
collections.
#1038-­‐1048
Miscellaneous
photographs
This
grouping
has
a
series
of
photographs
of
the
first
telephone
instruments
which,
Johnston
explains
on
an
index
card,
were
made
for
Mrs.
Bell.
There
are
prints
of
the
Francis
E.
Spinner
Statue,
a
painting
depicting
Prince
Edward
of
Wales
at
the
Tomb
of
[George]
Washington,
and
a
group
portrait
of
the
survivors
of
the
Johnstown
Disaster.
Box
10
photCL
352
(1049-­‐1132)
Legations
and
Embassies,
circa
1890-­‐1903.
Views
of
the
imposing
diplomatic
residences
of
Washington,
DC,
many
of
which
have
been
demolished.
Most
of
these
images
were
taken
by
Johnston
for
a
series
of
articles
that
she
authored
entitled
“The
Foreign
Legations
of
Washington,
Parts
1-­‐4”
in
Demorest’s
Family
Magazine
(April-­‐July
1893).
There
are
exterior
and
interior
views
of
the
Austrian,
British,
and
French
Embassies
as
well
as
the
Brazilian,
Chinese,
Japanese,
Korean,
Mexican,
and
Russian
Legations.
The
addresses
of
the
buildings
(included
in
the
item-­‐level
guide)
were
provided
by
The
Commission
of
Fine
Arts
in
the
1970s.
Box
11
photCL
352
(1133-­‐1214)
Residences
and
Interiors,
circa
1889-­‐1906.
The
majority
of
these
photographs
showcase
some
of
the
more
elaborate
residences
in
turn-­‐of-­‐the-­‐century
Washington,
DC.
The
impressive
interiors
of
the
John
Wanamaker
and
William
Whitney
homes
were
the
subject
of
articles
by
Johnston,
again
for
Demorest’s
(July-­‐December
1890)
entitled
“Some
Homes
Under
the
Administration.”
Additionally,
there
are
views
of
the
State
Department
and
Department
of
Justice
interiors,
Senator
Albert
Beveridge’s
office,
and
the
residences
of
Henry
Brown,
Charles
Fairchild,
Horace
Gray,
John
Hay,
Philander
Knox,
and
photographs
of
Maytham
Hall
and
Dorchester
House,
both
in
England.
Maytham
Hall
was
the
estate
of
author
Frances
Hodgson
Burnett,
and
Johnston
took
views
of
th
egardens,
grounds,
and
large
house
in
1906.
There
are
two
views
of
Burnett,
author
of
The
Secret
Garden
among
other
works,
posing
in
her
garden.
There
are
many
interior
shots
of
Dorchester
House,
the
American
Embassy
in
London,
which
Johnston
took
in
1906.
Box
12
photCL
352
(1215-­‐1248)
Portraiture
–
Large
Format
Most
of
these
portraits
are
printed
from
glass
plate
negatives
which
are
11x14
in.
and
larger.
Included
are
views
of
Theodore
Roosevelt
(1902),
a
signed
and
mounted
platinum
print
of
Frances
Folsom
Cleveland,
and
impressive
studio
portraits
of
Julian
Pauncefote,
Wu
T’ing
Fang
and
his
wife,
Madame
Wu.
There
is
also
a
series
of
salt
prints
of
illustrious
men,
many
of
the
prints
autographed
by
the
sitters.
The
images
are
duplicates
of
the
8x10
in.
portraits
listed
in
the
earlier
boxes
and
appear
to
be
a
series
that
Johnston
was
preparing
as
a
limited
edition
for
sale.
Box
13
photCL
352
(1249-­‐1276)
Group
Portraits
and
Government
Events
–
Large
Format
Again,
these
views
are
printed
from
Johnston’s
11x14
in.
and
larger
glass
plate
negatives.
This
notable
grouping
included
a
mounted,
platinum
print
of
the
Officers
of
the
First
National
Congress
of
Mothers,
February
1897.
This
organization
was
the
forerunner
of
the
Parent-­‐Teacher
Association,
and
the
portrait
is
autographed
by
all
the
sitters.
There
is
an
interesting
series
of
cyanotype
proofs
and
platinum
prints
of
Mrs.
Cleveland
and
the
Ladies
of
the
Cabinet
(#1250-­‐1257).
Both
sittings
(January,
February
1897)
are
included
and
two
of
the
mounted
prints
are
signed
by
some
of
the
women
in
attendance.
Other
items
are
group
views
of
the
first
and
second
McKinley
Cabinets;
Signing
of
the
Ratification
of
the
Treaty
with
Spain
(1898,1899);
Opening
Ceremonies
of
the
59th
U.S.
Congress
(1905).
Prepared
by
J.
Watts.
November
1994.