Belle Johnson (August 4, 1864 – July 19, 1945) was an American photographer, active primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Described as "eccentric, independent and unorthodox," Johnson was a charter member of the Federation of Women Photographers, and has been inducted into the Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame. Her work, which included character studies, photographs of animals (especially cats), and still lifes, won numerous awards and frequently appeared in contemporary photography journals in the early 1900s. Life Johnson was born in Mendota, Illinois, to George C. Johnson, a successful farmer, and his wife, Hanna. She attended Saint Mary's College in South Bend, Indiana, from 1882 to 1884, graduating at the top of her class. Afterward, she worked as a teacher, but found it unfulfilling. While spending the summer with her sister, Mary Walker, in Monroe City, Missouri, in 1890, Johnson answered a newspaper ad for an assistant at Rippey's photography studio. After just three weeks on the job, she bought the studio, with the understanding that the previous owner would stay on for a year to teach her the trade. He stayed for only six months, however, providing such scant instruction that Johnson later recalled that she had welcomed his departure. She subsequently learned primarily from photography magazines. Johnson was a charter member of the Photographers' Association of Missouri in 1894. At the group's statewide convention that year, Johnson's photographs won third place out of thirty-five entries, and missed first place by a narrow margin. In 1899, she won a gold medal at the Association's state convention, and was elected the group's treasurer. After a fire destroyed her studio that same year, she worked briefly in a photography studio established by local cigar maker, C.S. Robertshaw. By 1901 she was again advertising under her own name. In 1902, she opened an elaborate new studio on the floor above the jewelry store of her brother-in-law, R. Manning Walker. In 1904, Johnson photographed the St. Louis World's Fair for a booklet distributed by the Missouri State Commission. In 1906, she was one of twenty-five photographers (and the only woman) invited to exhibit at the Photographers' Association of America's annual convention at Niagara Falls. She exhibited again at the PAA's Dayton convention the following year. Johnson was a member of the Missouri delegation at the PAA convention in Rochester in 1909, and was elected the first vice president of the