December 14, 2008

Robert Hudovernik, keeper of the flame of the work of 1920s photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston, drew my attention to a series of “Masters of Photography” videos created for YouTube dispersal by a photo-aficionado who goes only by the moniker Cybele. Please take a look at this short clip – a musical slideshow (or, given the Ziegfeld subject matter, "filmstrip"). Cybele has created a YouTube “photography channel” which Hudovernik says is gaining popularity in Europe.

And while you’re at it, check out the work of ACJ, who shot for Vanity Fair during the Jazz Age, viewable at Alfredcheneyjohnston.com. I highly recommend the book Jazz Age Beauties (there's a link for the book on the site), with an introduction by the inimitable Julie Newmar, the actress, sex symbol, writer, and daughter of a Ziegfeld dancer. At 75, Newmar is still thriving.