The person in this Civil War era photo is believed to be Kate Warne. It was cropped from a larger photo of Allan Pinkerton and his operatives during the War. This is the only person in that photo without facial hair, and the figure also appears feminine.
Kate Warne was born in 1833 in New York City, and was left a childless widow shortly after she married. There is little information about her personal life or background. Described by Allan Pinkerton as a slender, brown haired woman, there is not much else known about Kate Warne prior to the day she walked into the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in 1856.
Answering an ad in a local newspaper, Warne went to Pinkerton's Chicago office and asked to see Allan Pinkerton about a job. There is still debate whether or not she…show more content… Pinkerton said, 'It is not the custom to employ women detectives.' Kate argued eloquently that women could be 'most useful in worming out secrets in many places which would be impossible for a male detective.' A woman would be able to befriend the wives and girlfriends of suspected criminals and gain their confidence.
Her argument impressed Pinkerton and on August 23, 1856, he employed Kate Warne, over the strong objections of his brother Robert who was also his partner in the business. According to Pinkerton family history, Allan was smitten with the woman; she became his mistress and traveled with him. (He had a wife and children at home.) This caused problems when his brother questioned some of the expenses she turned in to the agency.
Thus, Warne became the first female private detective in the United States. Moreover, Pinkerton soon hired other females. Their ranks grew, Kate having shown Pinkerton their intrinsic value to his organization, and he appointed Warne Supervisor of Female
