What a Woman May Be
Item
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Title
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What a Woman May Be
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Description
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Visual Description: A suffrage poster, separated into two rows, depicting both men and women carrying out different roles. Each of these are divided into five columns. The top row is titled as “What a Woman may be, and yet not have the Vote” and each of its five columns hold the image of what a woman may be. From left to right, there is a woman “MAYOR” holding a certificate and wearing a robe , a “NURSE” in her uniform, a “MOTHER” caring for two children, a “DOCTOR OR TEACHER” in her cap and gown while holding a book, and a “FACTORY HAND” in uniform holding textiles. Under the first row is the title of the men’s row, “What a Man may have been, & yet not lose the Vote”. Each column of this row contains a drawing of what a man may have been. Again, from left to right, the drawings in each column show a man who is a “CONVICT” in prison clothes, a “LUNATIC” doing an unusual motion, a “Proprietor of white Slaves” sitting on a chair with his legs crossed and wearing a typical colonial outfit, “Unfit for Service” in crutches, and a “DRUNKARD” walking in an unbalanced manner while holding a cane and a glass. In the upper region of each of the ten columns is a badge that holds a specific symbol which represents the role of each person. The colors red, green, light blue, and yellow are used for their garments as well as the badges.Contextual description:This poster was produced by the Suffrage Atelier who made this illustration in a rather simple technique. Even if its use of block painting was a consequence of finite funding, the technique allowed for a straightforward and powerful message.
Women are represented as smart, elevated and informed. The poster exemplifies how women are capable helping to better society, yet they are not trusted with the right to vote. In contrast, men are portrayed by figures which are detrimental for society. Still, a man may carry these roles and not have their right to vote withdrawn.
In comparison to most suffrage posters, women here are placed in a position of having greater esteem than men, therefore seeming ironic. The lack of esteem men are identified with and the fact that they still maintain their voting rights speaks to the advantage men have at the time. As opposed to that, women are at a disadvantage for they could achieve and take part in major roles in society but still lack their right to vote. Moreover, the poster references the advantage the vote would have on women and society.
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Sources:
Creativity and Persistence: Art that Fueled the Fight for Women's Suffrage https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/Creativity-and-Persistence-08.13.20.pdf
V&A's Collections http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O75893/what-a-woman-may-be-poster-suffrage-atelier/
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Date
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1912
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Creator
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Suffrage Atelier
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Source
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Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, Radcliffe Institute Gr-15.1-2
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Rights
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https://library.harvard.edu/privacy-terms-use-copyright-information#visuals.
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Relation
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Related work: part of Poster collection (Gr-15). HOLLIS collection-level record:011803016
Electronic finding aid - https://hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu/repositories/8/resources/6789
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Format
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Materials/Techniques: paper
Materials/Techniques: lithography
Dimensions: 27 x 19 inches
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Identifier
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Suffrage poster depicting ten different roles men and women can hold in society in regards to their right to vote.
