The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-04
HISS JOHNSTON, THE PIONEER PHOTOGRAPHERS,
 VISITS MONTGOMERY

VISITS MONTGOMERY.
 An interesting visitor to Montgomery.
 who left yesterday was Miss Frances
 Benjamine Johnston of Washington, D.
 C. She spent only twenty-four hours in
 the city and few knew of her presence
 or of her distinguished work.
 Miss Johnston has been called ''the
 pioneer woman photographer of the
 world. She was the first woman who
 made photography profession though
 there were some, perhaps, who essayed it as amateurs while she was studying art in other branches To realize the
 prominence she has achieved in her pro-
 fession, and her popularity, it is only
 necessary to state that 1t was she who
 took the photograph of Miss Alice Roose-
 welt in the velvet gown and large picture
 hat that was so widely published at the
 time of the visit of Prince Henry and the
 launching of the yacht of Emperor Will liam. It was she also who took the photograph of Mrs. Roosevelt, that adorned the cover of the Ladies' Home Journal some two or three months ago. In fact, Miss Johnston appears to be the favorite photographer of President Roosevelt's family. She has taken many of the photographs of celebrities that have met with popular favor and have been sent broadcast throughout the coun- try. Among these might be mentioned certain pictures of President and Mrs. Mckinley, Chief Justice Fuller, Minister Wu Ting Fang and Admiral Dewey. The collection she has of the Roosevelt chill dren are especially interesting.
 Miss Johnston is Southern woman-a Virginian by birth When asked about her work, which for women is a branch never engaged in until recent years, she said that 1t grew upon her. She was studying art in Paris with view to doing illustrative work when the art of photo- graphy first began to interest her. She secured a camera and amused herself with 1t as an amateur. She then for some time wrote descriptive articles for magazines, and illustrated, them with her own photographs. A series of these that appeared for a time in the Demorest Magazine and was very popular. was that of well-known homes in Washington. Then she branched out still further and established a studio in Washington.
 In taking up work heretofore engaged in only by the masculine gender no wo- man has been more successful than Miss Johnston. She has won not only the con- fdence of her patrons but the friendship of many of the most distinguished men and women of America. One of her most valued souveniors is a card written by Theodore Roosevelt to Admiral Dewey when the former was Governor of New York. It was when the Olympia was on its way home from Manila that Miss Johnston, who had known MT. Roosevelt in Washington as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, sought him for a card of in- troduction to the hero of the Philippines. She found him at Oyster Bay, and with out hesitation MT. Roosevelt wrote the following characteristic note:
 ahn- ston is a lady whom I personally know, and can vouch for. She does good work. and any promise she makes she will keep. Theodore Roosevelt"
 When this card was presented to Ad- miral Dewey at Naples by Miss Johnston, 1t was an open sesame to his favor and the freedom of the Olumpia. The Admi- ral had previously refused all similar re- guests, but he gave Miss Johnston the honor of the first sitting for his photo- graph since the battle of Manila.
 Among the magazine work which Miss Johnston has done recently of especial note was the editing of the articles which a appeared serially in The Ladies Home Journal last winter on the best known women photographers of America. The Illustrations used were from photographs made by the respective artists which Miss [, had collected for exhibition at | the Pals Exposition.
 On the other side of Miss Johnston's | financial side-much of inter est might also be told. It is enough, per haps. to say that she is now building a wing to her studio from the profits of the Roosevelt pictures. This addition she | calls the Roosevelt wing
 While here, Miss Johnston said that she had watched the columns of The Ad- vertiser. and was always interested in the work of the Peter Forney Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolu- ton. She herself is member of the Mary Washington Chapter of Washing ten, which is called the mother" of all the chapters.
 Personally, Miss Johnston is very att tractive. She wins at once the attention and regard of the stranger. She has the ow voice and repose of manner of the Southern woman Indeed. Miss Johnston personally as we'll as from the artistic viewpoint is a woman of whom all other Southern women may well be proud.