The Woman Behind the Lens: The Life and Work of Frances Benjamin Johnston, 1864-1952
Try to picture Mark Twain, or Uncle Remus, or even Theodore Roosevelt. More than likely, you have a Frances Benjamin Johnston image in your mind. Johnston was a significant—and arresting—figure in early twentieth-century photography. Beautifully illustrated with forty examples of her work, this first full-length biography explores the surprising range of Johnston's talent, as well as her high-stepping, controversial character.\ Johnston produced a good deal of the usual society portraiture of...
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Johnston was a significant figure in early 20th-century photography. This full-length biography is illustrated with 40 b&w examples of her work, including photographs of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) and Tuskegee at the turn of the 20th century, as well as images from Johnston's project on early vernacular architecture of the American South. Material explores both the range of her talent and her controversial character. Berch is a freelance writer living in New York City. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
\ From the PublisherFor The Woman behind the Lens, Berch has had to ferret out the nature of Johnston's relationship with Mattie Edwards Hewitt.... Interpreting their letters' sentiments, the biographer writes, 'is hardly straightforward. Some scholars advise us to understand all the romantic outpourings between nineteenth-century women as expressions of female friendship, rather than sexual passion. Others are more inclined to see such writings as a clue to a greater, if submerged, lesbian subculture.\ University of Virginia Press\ \ \ \ \ \ Brendan LemonHowever one judges Berch's view of the Johnston-Hewitt affair, it is clear that the new book will help brighten the overall spotlight on a photographer remarkable for what an earlier biography called 'a talent for detail.'.\ \ \
