{"id":344890,"date":"2020-08-10T13:55:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-10T17:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/?p=344890"},"modified":"2021-12-15T05:58:23","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T10:58:23","slug":"suffragette-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/suffragette-style\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Centennial of Women\u2019s Voting Rights, Suffragette Style Still Makes a Statement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"The<\/a>
The Suffragettes<\/em>, 20th century, by William Merrett Hodges<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Across the nation this month, millions of historians, politicians and ballot-wielding citizens are marking the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in the United States. On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment, thus enabling its adoption into the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In case anyone needs a refresher, the amendment reads: \u201cThe right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Amethyst,<\/a>
Amethyst, diamond and glass suffragette pendant, circa 1913<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, because of the current pandemic, hundreds of planned celebratory events have been canceled. Author Doris Weatherford, whose most recent book, Victory for the Vote: The Fight for Women’s Suffrage and the Century That Followed<\/em>, came out in February, admits to some disappointment. \u201cFor years, I\u2019ve been talking about the centennial coming up,\u201d Weatherford says, adding that she\u2019d hoped the milestone would help to launch a revival of the larger feminist movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether or not her hope is realized, the anniversary offers us all a chance to take inspiration from our foremothers. It\u2019s worth remembering that winning the vote was no easy victory. Women on both sides of the Atlantic faced ridicule, harassment and violence during 72 years of intensive struggle. For decades, these activists, known as suffragists, organized, lobbied, marched, picketed, protested and even held hunger strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also interesting to note that one of the most powerful yet stealthy weapons in their arsenal was style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word suffragette<\/em> was coined in 1906 by a British reporter to mock women working for their suffrage. Although the militant wing of the movement embraced this name and began to use it to describe themselves, most preferred the term suffragist<\/em>. To offset any sense that they were unladylike troublemakers, suffragists dressed conservatively in a fashionable and feminine style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Ida<\/figure>\n
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Mother and Suffragist<\/em><\/a> and Ida B. Wells, 1913<\/em><\/a><\/em>, both 2016, by Mary Dwyer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For demonstrations, women frequently wore all white. In 1908, suffragists in the United Kingdom adopted a signature color scheme of green, white and purple. Some say the palette represented the catchphrase \u201cGive Women Votes,\u201d with green standing in for the word \u201cgive,\u201d white substituting for \u201cwomen\u201d and violet for \u201cvotes.\u201d Others see the color green as representing hope, while white is for purity and purple for loyalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary Dwyer<\/a>, a painter represented by the New York gallery Odetta<\/a>, has created a series of striking suffragist portraits in a contemporary folk art style. \u201cMy paintings are a celebration of voter-rights activists and the visual pageantry of the suffrage movement,\u201d Dwyer says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While researching the American movement, Dwyer found women working simultaneously as suffragists, abolitionists and journalists. These activists published reports on voter disenfranchisement and racial inequality. \u201cThis diverse and multitalented group of women created a deliberate marketing campaign with buttons, ribbons, sashes, banners and flags. It was marketed by women for women.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Votes<\/a>
Votes for Women banner in violet and green, 1910\u201315<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jeff Bridgman<\/a>, an antiques dealer based in York, Pennsylvania, and an expert on American flags and political textiles, points out that yellow was the customary color of women\u2019s suffrage in the U.S., sometimes combined with other hues associated with the movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps because she had lived in England for 20 years, Harriot Eaton Stanton Blatch (1856\u20131940), the daughter of famed suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815\u20131902), adopted purple and green to represent her New York City\u2013based suffrage organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bridgman believes that a large purple-and-green banner in his collection was probably used to encourage men to vote in one of four state referendums held in 1915. Overwhelmingly, however, the men of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts voted to bar women from the polls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Ironstone<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
Ironstone suffragette plate, 1914<\/a>, made for Alva Belmont (shown above seated in the front row, second from the right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A number of wealthy socialites, such as Alva Belmont (1853\u20131933), who married into the Vanderbilt family, supported the cause. Belmont founded or helped to found several suffragist groups and was known for attempting to integrate the movement by working with African American women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also had a reputation for building luxurious homes and throwing extravagant parties. She even commissioned a suffrage-themed English porcelain<\/a> service (shown above) for events at Marble House, her mansion in Newport, Rhode Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some supporters of suffrage attended fundraisers and marched in parades, others signaled their commitment in a subtler way, through their color-coded jewelry. In 1908, the British jeweler Mappin & Webb<\/a> introduced a series of suffragette pieces, which inspired other makers to do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Suffragette<\/a>
Suffragette collar necklace, ca. 1910<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mallory Whitten, jewelry sales consultant at M.S. Rau<\/a>, in New Orleans, explains that women wearing suffragette pieces \u201cshowed support for the movement but in a symbolic way,\u201d to avoid backlash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whitten feels that suffragette jewelry, which was often crafted in peridot, amethyst and pearl, still has a message for us today. \u201cThis jewelry is a beautiful reminder of the strength and resilience of the women who came before us,\u201d she says. \u201cI hope that it inspires women now to continue to stand up and fight for our rights.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Browse More Suffragette Pieces<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t