Frances Benjamin Johnston, American Photographer
Johnston adjusting lens of large tripod camera, in front of the Arts Club, 2017 Eye Street, Washington, 1936. Frances "Fannie" Benjamin Johnston (January 15, 1864 - May 16, 1952) was one of the earliest American female photographers and photojournalists. She was given her first camera by George Eastman, a close friend of the family, and inventor of the Eastman Kodak cameras. She received training in photography and dark-room techniques from Thomas Smillie, director of photography at the Smithsonian. She took portraits of many famous contemporaries but, her most famous work is her self-portrait of the liberated "New Woman", petticoats showing and beer stein in hand. In the 1920s she became increasingly interested in photographing architecture, motivated by a desire to document buildings and gardens which were falling into disrepair or about to be redeveloped and lost. Her photographs remain an important resource for modern architects, historians and conservationists. She was named an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects for her work in preserving old and endangered buildings. She died in 1952 at the age of 88.
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