Johnston, Alfred Cheney. Julie Newmar. n.d. vintage photograph. 12 1/8 x 10 3/8 in. (30.8 x 26.35 cm). Gift of Francis A. DiMauro 2013.4.28
During the early 1900s, failed portrait painter-turned-photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston became known for his famous photographs of Broadway’s favorite girls: Ziegfeld’s Follies. His intriguingly sexualized depictions of these young, beautiful, successful Broadway women landed his name in Vanity Fair and made him quite well-known. As his career developed, he was recognized as one “of the creators of 20th century glamour photography, giving his sitters erotic allure while vesting them with dignity and power.”
As a so-called creator of glamour photography, he was catapulted into the celebrity realm. In 1950, he photographed rising actress Julie Newmar. Julie was 16 or 17 years old when the photograph was taken. Despite her young age, she is depicted very in a sexual light. She is reclining in her chair, similar to the pose seen in Venus of Urbino and other traditional Renaissance portraiture, however, she is clothed and brings a 20th century edge. Her perfectly done makeup highlights her high cheekbones, plump lips, and small, straight nose. Julie embodies the stereotypical qualifications for beauty: young, fair skin, perfect facial features, wealthy, and sensual, but not scandalous. Her personification of the timeless beauty standards allows Johnston to represent her with such “erotic allure.”
Sources:
Shields, David S. “Alfred Cheney Johnston.” Broadway Photographs, www.broadway.cas.sc.edu/content/alfred-cheney-johnston.