In reply to gwen.

Hi Gwen,

Thanks for your comment, and for reading! Miss Johnson--Kate or Katie L. Johnson--was Durham's first female photographer. Jean Anderson's monumental Durham County (now available in its second edition from Duke University Press) notes that Miss Johnson's studio was active from the turn of the 20th century through the 1930s.

You may also want to browse through the Durham directories, which UNC's Digital NC project has digitized. The main site is located at http://digitalnc.org/. The wonderful North Carolina Collection at the Durham County Library may also be of assistance.

Good luck with your research!