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| Frances Benjamin Johnston. 1864-1952. America. Photographer. |
How many artists can you name? Chances are, you'll have named many more men than women. From the moment we are children, most of the artists and artworks we are exposed to are created by or about men. It's time to rebalance the scales and open up the artistic 'canon', introducing more women and ethnic minorities into the widely known narrative of art history. Here, I'll be trying to do just that in the style of a children's story, introducing you to one more woman from art and art history who, until now, you might not have known.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Frances. She grew up in Washington DC and studied art. She
became a very clever young woman and wrote a lot of articles. One day, Frances was
given a camera by a family friend and she realised her true passion.
Frances began taking photographs of friends and family and
practiced photography until she could set up her own photography studio. In
1894, she finally opened her studio as the only woman photographer in the whole city!
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Frances’ reputation began to spread and celebrities started
wanting her to take their portraits! In the Victorian times, you couldn’t just
take a selfie on your phone. Having your photo taken was really special, and
cost a lot of money. Very rich people came to Frances for their official
portraits which they would hang in their houses. Frances took photos of Mark
Twain, a very famous writer and Booker T Washington, a very important
African-American politician. Unlike other old photographs which are sometimes
quite formal and boring to look at, Frances’ photos really caught the
expressions and personalities of the people in front of her.
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| Booker T Washington, Frances Benjamin Johnston, 1895 |
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| Mark Twain, Frances Benjamin Johnston, 1906 |
Frances took a photograph of Susan B Anthony who was an important women’s rights activist who also fought for the end of slavery.
Frances' photo captured how strong and determined Susan had to be to be an
activist for women at a time when women were not seen as equal to men. Susan even
looks a bit scary in the photo, because she looks so powerful!
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| Susan B Anthony, Frances Benjamin Johnston, 1900 |
Frances was so successful that she was appointed to be the official
White House photographer which meant she took the portraits of all the
Presidents. She took the official portraits of President Harrison, President
Cleveland, President McKinley, President Roosevelt and President Taft. That’s a
lot of Presidents!
Even though there were no other women in the
room, and all the polticians involved were men, Frances was employed to
photograph major moments in American politics. She captured the moment peace
was signed between America and Spain in 1898.
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| Signing of the Protocol, Frances Benjamin Johnston, 1898 |
Frances also took photos of architecture and buildings. But
her photographs were special because, unlike other American photographers, she
wasn’t drawn to the modern buildings and new developments. She took
photos of old, dilapidated buildings, historical structures that were falling
down or were going to be demolished. She wanted to capture them just before
they were knocked down.
Lots of people began to realise how important it was to
document buildings before they were destroyed or collapsed. She began to be
employed all over America to take photographs and record historical
architecture.
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Not only was Frances great at taking other people’s
photographs but she took photos of herself too. These are known as
self-portraits and they were really interesting. She took a photo of herself as a New Woman
which was what modern women were called in the Victorian times. They were women
who didn’t want to be controlled by men their whole lives. People thought Frances looked like a man in the portrait because she was leaning forward as if
she was having a conversation. Women were normally shown as being very quiet,
but Frances was showing she had a lot to say. She also lifted up her skirt to
show her ankles which was really shocking! She did another portrait where she
looked like a more traditional Victorian woman, dressed up in fur. Frances was
showing women could be both: powerful and
fashionable, they could talk and be
modest. They didn’t need to be confined by rules of how they should look!
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| Self Portrait as a New Woman, Frances Benjamin Johnston, 1896 |
Frances also supported other women who might want to become
photographers. She knew the camera could be a powerful way for young women to
create success for themselves. In 1897, she published an article called ‘What a
Woman Can Do With a Camera.’ In it,
she said that even women from poorer backgrounds could achieve success with
enough passion and commitment. She said hard work would always help ‘develop
small beginnings into large results.’
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| Self Portrait, Frances Benjamin Johnston, 1896 |
Even though Frances was well known during her life, in the
following centuries, her photographs have not been as famous. It is important
we remember Frances for the work she did to promote female photographers and
support the success of other women.
Just like the old buildings that so fascinated her, Frances bought one of the oldest houses in the oldest area of New Orleans. She lived
happily ever after for the rest of her life in a beautiful historical building,
surrounded by photographs.
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| Frances' house is New Orleans |
