Cunningham blev født i [[Portland|Portland, Oregon]] som datter af Isaac Burns Cunningham<ref name="FindAGrave-Father-1943">{{Cite web|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=93137785|title=Isaac Burns Cunningham|accessdate=8. marts 2015|website=[[Find A Grave]]}}</ref> og Susan Elizabeth Cunningham (født Johnson).<ref name="FindAGrave-Mother-1935">{{Cite web|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=93137784|title=Susan E Johnson Cunningham|accessdate=8. marts 2015|website=[[Find A Grave]]}}</ref><ref name="FamilySearch-USCensus-1900">{{Cite web|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMPJ-V6Q|title=Isaac B Cunningham - United States Census, 1900|accessdate=8. marts 2015|website=[[FamilySearch]]}}</ref><ref name="FamilySearch-USCensus-1910">{{Cite web|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVG1-3GB|title=Isaac B Cunningham - United States Census, 1910|accessdate=8. marts 2015|website=[[FamilySearch]]}}</ref><ref name="FamilySearch-USCensus-1930">{{Cite web|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCDH-DT8|title=Isaac B Cunningham - United States Census, 1930|accessdate=8. marts 2015|website=[[FamilySearch]]}}</ref>. Cunningham var det femte af 10 børn.
Hun voksede op i [[Seattle]], [[Washington (delstat)|Washington]]. I 1901, da hun var 18 år gammel, købte hun sit første kamera, et 4x5" storformat kamera. Men hun mistede hurtigt interessen igen og solgte det til en ven.
