Early Life and Artistic Beginnings Kate Thompson Cory, born in Waukegan, Illinois, on February 8, 1861, emerged from a family steeped in progressive ideals. Her father, James Young Cory, a newspaper editor and staunch abolitionist, fostered an environment of social consciousness and intellectual curiosity—a home even harboring runaway slaves along the Underground Railroad. This early exposure to human stories and the power of visual c…