Curio Cabinet | July 17, 2025

Alfred Cheney Johnston: Master of the Publicity Photo

Beauty in the flesh will continue to rule the world. 

– Florenz Zigfield, Jr.

The third floor of Alfred Cheney Johnston’s Manhattan apartment building was filled with the studios of fellow artists. He loved living there, affectionately calling it “Greenwich Village on Fifty-Seventh Street,” and hosted frequent parties with liquor-filled bathtubs and food spread out on long wooden tables. The landlord had carpeted the hallway to tamp down the noise for the second-floor residents. During these late-night festivities, the plush floor covering served as a runway for “carpet parades,” with drunken revelers dancing from one end of the building to the other.

During the day, a hush fell over the artists’ apartments as they worked at their desks and easels. Johnston had turned his front room into a photography studio where he shot theatrical scenes, full-length poses, and close-ups. He kept little furniture, which allowed him to think of his studio as a silent film set. The openness of the space gave him room to maneuver his bulky Century View camera, which used large glass plates, screens, mirrors, and peacock feathers. Sometimes he picked up larger pieces, such as a Greek pedestal, a free-standing mirror, or a divan, from theatrical productions and antique stores.