This article originally appeared in the Winter 1999 issue of the Heritage Magazine

The Old Photo Album
Libby Kahle: Picturing the Future

by Kate Mockler

Everyone recognizes the names Amelia Earhart, Margaret Mead and Sally Ride, and everyone knows of their high-profile careers that broke barriers and put women in the spotlight. But for every headline these women grabbed, there were thousands of unsung women breaking barriers in more ordinary fields. We can all name the first woman in space, but who was the first female school principal you ever heard of? The first female auto mechanic? What about the first female photojournalist?

The answer to that last question, at least here in Buffalo, is Elizabeth Kahle. "Kahle," or "Libby," as she's commonly known, began her career at the Courier-Express in 1931. Her boss, city editor John H. Tranter, was determined to test her, so she spent her first few days photographing dead bodies and surgical procedures. He was convinced she wouldn't last, but she did more than just "last." She excelled, and won the respect of every man at the paper. She had a thirty-five year career with the Courier-Express, photographing such famous figures as Jimmy Durante, and such infamous ones as Christine Jorgensen, the first transsexual.One of Kahle's biggest coups came in 1941, when she discovered Eleanor Roosevelt was in town on an unofficial visit. Mrs. Roosevelt granted her an exclusive, informal photograph over the protests of her hostess, Mrs. Mack, the wife of a National Democratic Committee member. When Kahle retired, the same editor who had tested her so severely at the beginning of her tenure lauded her as "one of the few women in the country to become a topnotch photographer on the staff of a major metropolitan daily."

Kahle came to the Courier-Express as a society columnist, a job for which she was well-suited, since she had many contacts in Buffalo society. However, her true interest was in photography. She had always enjoyed it as a hobby, but now, she spent much of her spare time observing the cameramen in the Courier-Express darkroom. After taking a photography course at Seneca Vocational High School, she was ready to make the switch from the society department to the city room. In 1938, she became the first female news photographer in Buffalo, and one of the few female news photographers in the nation.
Kahle came from a family of go-getters. Her mother, Louise Lewis Kahle, was one of the first graduates of the Buffalo Female Academy (currently Buffalo Seminary). She was also an avid suffragette who was jailed in Washington D.C. Kahle's grandmother, Charlotte Pierson Lewis, founded the Homeopathic Hospital, which is known today as Millard Fillmore Hospital at Gates Circle. But it is Kahle's grandfather, Judge Loran L. Lewis, who achieved the most fame. He had a distinguished career as a judge and a lawyer, but fame came to him after his career had ended, when he came out of retirement at age 76 to defend Leon Czoglosz, William McKinley's assassin.

Female photographers are not unusual now. Some, such as Annie Leibovitz, are household names. Others are not, but their work is seen daily by millions of people worldwide. It is hard to imagine a time when female photographers were unheard of, but there is still a living link to that time in the form of Libby Kahle, who turned 99 this year. Age limitations mean as much to her now as gender limitations did back in 1938: Kahle is still very active and shows no signs of slowing down. Today, many people may not remember her contributions, both to the Courier-Express and to the advancement of women. This winter, we celebrate both of these contributions by reprinting some of her most memorable work in the Old Photo Album.

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