The Suffrage Postcard Project

The Suffrage Postcard Project is a digital humanities initiative by Kristin Allukian, assistant professor of English at the University of South Florida and Ana Stevenson, a postdoctoral research fellow in the International Studies Group at the University of the Free State, South Africa.

This impressive compilation of images from the suffrage era is unique in its highlighting of representations of masculinity, manhood, and fatherhood—such as “Mother’s Got the Habit Now,” a print depicting a suffragette dressed in her husband’s clothing—instead of primarily focusing on representations of women.

From the site:

This project looks at illustrations and images of masculinity and fatherhood that circulated in early twentieth-century pro- and anti-suffrage postcards and utilizes a range of digital tools including Omeka, ImagePlot, Gephi, Tableau Public, and Iconclass to explore how feminist digital humanities practices engender new visual historical narratives of masculinity and manhood.

The primary goal of The Suffrage Postcard Project is to provide an easy-to-search archive for research and teaching on the suffrage era. The site provides options to browse images by title or creator, or to browse collections like this delightful Cats and Suffrage Collection. Images are downloadable and citations are provided.

The Ann Lewis Women’s Suffrage Collection

The Ann Lewis Women’s Suffrage Collection is a privately owned collection of over 1,200 postcards, books, periodicals, and more on the suffrage era.

Readers can browse the following collections:

• Postcards and stamps
• Buttons and ribbons
• Manuscripts
• Books
• Periodicals
• Memorabilia

Each item includes a detailed description, permissions, and citation information.

Some gems from the site include this 1924 clipping from The Literary Digest declaring suffrage a failure and this 1915 postage stamp labelled, “Votes for Women, Pennsylvania.”

About the collector (from the website):

Ann F. Lewis was Senior Advisor to the 2008 Presidential Campaign of Hilary Rodham Clinton. She served as White House Communications Director for President Bill Clinton; as Vice President for Planned Parenthood Federation of America; as Political Director of the Democratic National Committee; and as Chief of Staff to then Congresswoman, now Senator Barbara Mikulski. Lewis has been a visiting lecturer at Brandeis University, and at the Annenberg School of the University of Pennsylvania. She was one of the founding members of the National Women’s Political Caucus.

12 Cruel Anti-Suffragette Cartoons

In commemoration of the 93rd anniversary of the August 18, 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment, the magazine The Week published this selection of anti-suffragette cartoons. The portrayals of suffragettes range from incapable of loving or being loved to shirking the duties of womanhood, i.e. cleaning and childcare.

If you’d like to explore more suffrage-era cartoons—both for and against women’s enfranchisement—see Puck magazine’s suffrage issue and the Catherine H. Palczewski Suffrage Postcard Archive.

Selected Suffrage Images from the Library of Congress

This archive from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division features a selection of frequently requested images related to the suffrage movement. It includes portraits of notable suffragists like Alice Paul and Lucy Stone, suffrage campaign scenes, cartoons, and ephemera.

In addition to the images in this archive, the Library of Congress includes information on how to find more suffrage images in its collections.

You can download the images in various sizes and formats. Most should have no restrictions on their use, but keep in mind the Library of Congress’s advice:

The Library of Congress is unaware of any restrictions on the use of the images. However, patrons who plan to publish or otherwise distribute any of the images should be aware that determination regarding the appropriate use of an image ultimately rests with the patron … For further information, see “Copyright and Other Restrictions That Apply to Publication/Distribution of Images.”

Elisabeth Freeman and Media Stunts for Suffrage (1911-1916)

Elisabeth Freeman was an English suffragette born in 1876. She told the story of her dedication to suffrage being piqued by this incident: “I saw a big burly policeman beating up on a woman, and I ran to help her, and we were both arrested. I found out in jail what cause we were fighting for.” This rich interactive scrapbook of Freeman’s life tells the story of her struggles as a Suffragette, Civil Rights Worker, and Militant Pacifist.

Of particular relevance to those interested in suffrage and the media is the section on Freeman’s media stunts for suffrage. Freeman, adept at using the media to her advantage, became known for “finding some activity that would capture media attention and guarantee press.” She was often personally involved in protests and even got arrested a number of times. She also used other newsworthy events to “piggy back” onto another story, for instance, speaking between rounds of prize fights.

Some highlights from this fascinating repository of “stunts” include Freeman pictured with a bear and Freeman arrested at a strike.  

BBC News: The Struggle for Women’s Suffrage

This short BBC News video from 2016 introduces a sculpture, housed in the British Parliament, that celebrates women’s suffrage in the United Kingdom. The work, titled “New Dawn,” is made of metal and illuminated glass whose lighting ebbs and flows in time with the tides in the nearby River Thames. The video also uses archival footage and photographs to look back at the women’s rights movement in the UK.

“New Dawn” was unveiled on June 7, 2016. The date marked the 150th anniversary of Member of Parliament (and famous philosopher) John Stuart Mill’s presentation to the House of Commons of the first mass petition advocating women’s enfranchisement. An excerpt from the UK Parliament’s website describes the watershed event:

Mill spoke on the petition on 17 July 1866. A year later, the petition led to the first debate on votes for women. On 20 May 1867 Mill tried to amend the Second Reform Bill to replace the word ‘man’ with ‘person’. He later described this as ‘perhaps the only really important public service I performed in the capacity as a Member of Parliament.’ The division was lost by 73 votes to 196, but Mill was delighted by the level of support, which came from both sides of the House.

St. Stephen Hall, the portion of Westminster Hall chosen to house the sculpture, was a frequent rallying point from which suffragettes protested and lobbied Parliament for the vote. The piece was created by artist Mary Branson.

You can view and explore “New Dawn” here, watch five short videos about it here, and learn more about the sculpture’s creation here.

You can also explore another important contribution Mill made to the suffrage movement: his May 20, 1867 speech before the House of Commons on the subject of women’s enfranchisement.

Pictures of the 1913 Women’s Suffrage Parade

To mark the centennial anniversary of the 1913 Women’s Suffrage Parade in Washington, DC, Atlantic magazine Senior Editor Alan Taylor collected 24 photographs to feature in a slideshow. Taylor explains why the march was so important, and selects some of the more striking images of the parade. There are also photos of a program for the parade, as well as portraits of the organizers.

Go to this link to see the photos, which are housed in the Library of Congress.

Woman Suffrage Memorabilia: A Site Devoted to Such Artifacts as Buttons, Post Cards, Ribbons, Sheet Music, and Ceramics

This delightful website, curated by Kenneth Florey, includes a plethora of rich visual materials from the suffrage era.

From the site:

The primary purpose of this site is to provide a repository for information about memorabilia connected to the woman suffrage movement in both England and America. Subjects discussed here will include woman suffrage buttons, suffrage ribbons, suffrage sashes, suffrage advertising cards, suffrage jewelry, suffrage sheet music, suffrage postcards, Cinderella stamps and other aspects of suffrage ephemera. The focus is not on pamphlets and autograph material, although articles about these types of items do appear on occasion.

Florey is also the author of American Woman Suffrage Postcards, a book of photographic history.

Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement

The following is a summary by Joni Hubred-Golden of the Michigan Women’s Forum of Robert P.J. Cooney, Jr.’s 2005 photographic book, Winning the Vote (three related essays by Cooney are also linked below):

Women in the United States didn’t win the right to vote until 1920 with passage of the 19^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement by Robert P. J. Cooney, Jr., tell the story as no other book has. It captures the color, passion, and excitement of this important part of American history. 

This beautifully designed hardback presents the suffrage movement clearly and chronologically, with emphasis on the remarkable personalities and turbulent political campaigns of the early 20^th century.  The book uses over 960 photographs, posters, leaflets, and portraits to illustrate this fascinating account of the expansion of American democracy.  Large format images and a fast paced text highlight key developments between 1848 and 1920, including over 50 state electoral campaigns and the final, controversial, and hard fought drive for the 19^th Amendment.

Winning the Vote shows how women have long been active participants in U.S. history, and how many became politically powerful before winning the vote.  The book includes illustrated profiles of 78 American women and men, black and white, who led the drive for equal rights, and an unprecedented display of the symbolism, color, and imagery used by the increasingly sophisticated suffrage movement.  The opening three chapters, out of eighteen, cover efforts for full democracy in the 19^th century, and an Epilogue follows suffragists into government and other influential areas after 1920. While bits and pieces of women’s history have been scattered and forgotten over time, “Winning the Vote” weaves stories from around the country into a rich and exciting new tapestry.  Many of the stories and photos included have never before been made available to the general public.

In these three essays collated by the American Graphic Press, Cooney expands on the movement’s enduring effects in the 21st century. The essays, Taking a New Look: The Enduring Significance of the American Woman Suffrage Movement; Carrie Chapman Catt and the League of Women Voters: Winning Political Power for Women; and Winning California for Woman Suffrage, 1911, provide historical explorations of various moments in the suffrage movement as well as discussing the movement’s modern legacy. 

Cooney is Director of the Woman Suffrage Media Project. He serves on the board of the National Women’s History Project.

Both Winning the Vote and Kenneth Florey’s American Woman Suffrage Postcards have gorgeous full-color images of suffrage photographs and ephemera.

You can order the book here, via the website of the publisher, American Graphic Press. 

American Woman Suffrage Postcards: A Study and Catalog

Google books provides significant excerpts from this book, which offers a fascinating look at suffrage-themed postcards from the era.

An abstract:

American women’s suffrage activists were fascinated with suffrage themed postcards. They collected them, exchanged them, wrote about them, used them as fundraisers and organized “postcard day” campaigns. The cards they produced were imaginative and ideological, advancing arguments for the enfranchisement of women and responding to antisuffrage broadsides. Commercial publishers were also interested in suffrage cards, recognizing their profit potential. Their products, though, were reactive rather than proactive, conveying stereotypes they assumed reflected public attitudes–often negative–towards the movement. Cataloging approximately 700 examples, this study examines the “visual rhetoric” of suffrage postcards in the context of the movement itself and as part of the general history of postcards.

Additional information and commentary on suffrage-era postcards can be found on the author’s curated site, womansuffragememorabilia.com. (Not ready to commit to visiting the site? You can read our description here.)

Both American Woman Suffrage Postcards and Robert P. J. Cooney, Jr.’s book Winning the Vote have gorgeous full-color images of suffrage photographs and ephemera.