Brigham Young’s son-in-law built a career photographing church leaders, prominent Mormon families, and the Salt Lake Temple. Alongside that work, he sold erotic stereo views to customers across the country.
Charles Ellis Johnson photographed Mormon prophets… and sold erotic photographs by mail from his Salt Lake City studio. His church portraits and “spicy pictures of girls” carried the same business stamp.
Source: Mary Campbell's "Charles Ellis Johnson and the Erotic Mormon Image" (2016). The photographs discussed in this episode come from Campbell’s book.
TIMESTAMPS00:00 Invocation
00:31 The Life of Charles Ellis Johnson01:28 Family Background and Polygamy02:48 Growing Up in a Polygamous Family05:34 Charlie Johnson's Early Career07:21 Transition to Photography09:24 The Role of Charlie as Church Photographer15:00 The Shift in Faith and Personal Life17:18 The Emergence of Risqué Photography19:06 Exploring the Boundaries of Erotica21:47 Marketing Mormon Erotica24:13 BenedictionSHOW NOTES, including all sources mentioned in this episode, are available on Patreon with a FREE membership:https://www.patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem FREE members also get our monthly newsletter. Paid memberships start at $2/month for AD-FREE listening.TO SUPPORT THE SHOW (Thank you!) Venmo: https://venmo.com/postmormonpostmortem Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/postmormonpostmortem Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem FIND US HERE Website: https://postmormonpostmortem.comYouTube: @postmormonpostmortem TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@postmormonpostmortemInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/postmormonpostmortemFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/postmormonpostmortemTheme song | Vocals: Hannah W. | Guitar: Dr. Dave | Audio: Mick