Frances Benjamin Johnston
1864-1952, United States
Frances Benjamin Johnston, a lesbian, was a photojournalist. She photographed different kinds of people, from coal miners to famous women. (Richards, 40) Emmanuel Cooper, in his book, The Sexual Perspective, states that Johnston was "known for her portraits of eminent women who included Alice Roosevelt, the wives of the Presidential Cabinet, and the feminist Susan B. Anthony."
In "Self Portrait", c. 1896, Johnston is sitting on a trunk. Her dress is pulled up, revealing covered legs. Her right leg lays across her left in a not so very ladylike pose. She has a lit cigarette in her right hand and a beer stein in her left. Johnston is sitting in front of a fireplace, surrounded by familiar objects. Her face is in profile. The expression is of stern contemplation. A woman living in a man's world who knows what she wants. Frances Benjamin Johnston was an example of the "New Woman" who did things like drink and smoke, things that were viewed as only proper for men to do. (Chadwick, 235) Women were ready for a change. Johnston exemplified it.
I only found a little information on Johnston, but I still wanted to include her.
Johnston's Work
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