"The Awakening, " An Extremely Rare & Graphic Women's Suffrage Map, circa 1915

EXTRAORDINARILY RARE, YELLOW & WHITE, SUFFRAGE PARASOL / UMBRELLA, WITH “VOTES FOR WOMEN” TEXT, DISTRIBUTED BY THE NATIONAL AMERICAN WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION UNDER ANNA HOWARD SHAW’S LEADERSHIP [HEADQUARTERED IN NEW YORK], CIRCA 1913-1915: In the world of Suffrage memorabilia, parasols and umbrellas are known to have been produced, but hardly any exist. Made in both Britain and America, most of the organizations known to have commissioned them did so with white or purple, green, and white, utilizing the traditional British colors. In America, some of these can be identified to the Women’s Political Union of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. As for those in the traditional American colors of golden yellow and white, typically with black text, examples are known to have been produced and sold by the National American Women’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA), beginning in the summer of 1913. According to author and expert Ken Florey, the organization peddled them for “one dollar each or ten dollars a dozen…[promoting] them as good for advertising the cause at street meetings, summer resorts, and county fairs. The design consisted of yellow and white in alternate sections, with “Votes for Women” in the white sections.” Florey goes on to explain how some umbrellas in this style are known with names of states hand-painted in the yellow panels. I am aware of Oregon and Idaho. Florey also indicates that one is known for Alaska. His discussion of the subject, and an illustration of the Idaho example, appear in his book, "Women's Suffrage Memorabilia" (2013, McFarland & Co., North Carolina), on pp. 192 and A8, respectively. The Oregon example, which have seen and held first-hand, is illustrated in "The Keynoter: Journal of the American Political Items Conservators," Summer/Fall/Winter 2008 (Women's Suffrage Special Triple Issue), Vol. 2008, No. 2-4, p. 110. In “Woman Suffrage Memorabilia,” Florey describes a heavy demand for parade accoutrements in the 19-teens. Despite the supposed numbers in which these yellow and white umbrellas were likely to have been produced, this is the only example that I am aware has actually surfaced with the “Votes for Women” text only and no state names. This makes it far more universally desirable. A period image survives in the Albert R. Stone Negative Collection, Rochester Museum & Science Center (Rochester, New York,) of a women carrying parasols in this style on Main Street West in that city on August 15, 1914. The marchers, masked, were described as wearing yellow dominoes (nun-style dresses) and carrying yellow parasols. According to museum catalogers, “The outside parasols are plain; those on the inside have the inscription, "Votes for women". The first group, in yellow and blue dominoes, advertised the speech and visit of Dr. Anna Howard Shaw [this would be members of the Empire Campaign Committee]. The second group carried placards with the names of equal suffrage states and the dates when they adopted votes for women. The Club Theatre, whose sign advertising "Burlesque" is clearly visible behind the marchers, occupies the premises at 75 Main Street West formerly occupied by the Shubert Theatre.” The National American Women’s Suffrage Association was formed in 1890. It represented a merging of the two largest Suffrage groups in America before that time. These were the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), formed in 1869 by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), also formed in 1869 by Lucy Stone and her Husband, Henry Brown Blackwell, Henry Ward Beecher, and others. Stone’s daughter, Alice Stone...

Unusual paper suffrage pennant, with bold and whimsical, western style lettering, circa 1915 American Suffragette pennant, in a very rare format, with text that reads “Votes for Women,” in a combination of two bold, Western-style fonts. Made of golden yellow paper, with the lettering printed in black, the profile is an unusual one. Linear for approximately 2/5 of its length, the remainder tapers to a point. An example in this style is documented in "The Keynoter: Journal of the American Political Items Conservators," Summer/Fall/Winter 2008 (Women's Suffrage Special Triple Issue), Volume 2008, Number 2-4, p.133. This periodical is the best printed reference that presently exists on Suffrage objects. Golden yellow was the customary color of the suffrage movement in America, a tradition that began with the first actual campaign to give women the right to vote. This took place in 1867 in Kansas, the first state to hold a referendum on the issue when suffragists Susan B. Anthony and Carrie Stanton focused their efforts there and wore sunflowers—the state flower—in a show of support, as well as yellow ribbons. The flower was an appropriate emblem for a rising sun and growth, which led to its use in other states, and the color carried over to many other objects employed in the campaign for years to come. In England, green, white, and purple / violet were introduced in 1908 and became the colors of the movement, which gave way to a nice acronym for “Give Women the Vote.” Various groups used these colors also, in the States, sometimes substituting golden yellow for green. Mounting: The textile was mounted and framed within our own conservation department, which is led by expert staff. We take great care in the mounting and presentation of flags and related textiles and have preserved thousands of examples. This is a pressure mount...

"EQUAL SUFFRAGE FOR MICHIGAN IN 1916," ADVERTISING FAN FOR THE BISSELL 'CYCO BALL BEARING CARPET SWEEPER,' COMMISSIONED BY ANNA BISSELL (1846-1934), AMERICA'S FIRST FEMALE CEO Oriental-made, twill-woven silk fan with gilt lettering that reads : "Bissell's 'Cyco Ball Bearing Carpet Sweeper' makes sweeping easy," set within an interesting, open, geometric design. A purposefully curved, paper label beneath was applied by the "Michigan Equal Suffrage Association, Kalamazoo, 405 So. Burdick St.," whose byline is along the bottom. On it, a terrific message reads: "OVER 100,000 WOMEN pay taxes in Michigan on property assessed at $177,596,938. In 1910 OVER 175,000 MICHIGAN WOMEN signed a petition sent to Congress asking for Equal Suffrage. 247,373 MICHIGAN MEN voted...

American Suffrage movement pennant, with a standard, triangular taper. Made of yellow felt, with tapered letters that read simply: "Votes for Women," bo...

Franco-American textile with the image of an eagle supporting knotted and draped american and French flags beneath four war planes; embroidered silk floss and metallic bullion thread...

ENGLISH PORCELAIN SUFFRAGETTE PLATE WITH "DEEDS, NOT WORDS" AND "VOTES FOR WOMEN" SLOGANS, ONE-OF-A-KIND AMONG KNOWN EXAMPLES, CA 1905-1918 English porcelain plate, made for the Wo...

This wonderful piece of New York City history is over 150 years old. It depicts 86th street and above. It was lithographed by WC Rogers and company. It was made to show what was the Battle of Harlem during the Revolutionary war...

Very rare William and Mary pewter trefid spoon the handle molded in relief with portraits and dating from around 1690. The spoon has an elongated rounded ...

Wonderful entertaining rare item consisting of the actual newspapers from the San Francisco Examiner dated July of 2018---all issues; complete. Condition: They are bound in a hardc...

Presented is a collage celebrating the men who made an early impact on the formation of America’s Air Service. Complete with signatures by Jimmy Doolittle, Tooey Spaatz, Hap Arnold, ...

Monumental fifteen foot 42 star American flag, circa 1889-1890. The 42-star flag is rare because only a limited number of 42-star flags were produced after Washington became a state on Nov. 11, 1889. But it takes a more intimate knowledge of flag trivia to know just why it happened this way. White stars are added to the blue field of the star-spangled banner on the Fourth of July after a state is admitted to the union. In the fall of 1889, several western territories became states. Dakota was admitted, and then split into North and South Dakota, on Nov. 2, 1889, which made them state and star numbers 39 and 40. Montana was named the 41st state on Nov. 8, followed by Washington, on Nov. 11. Only a few flag manufacturers began producing 42-star flags before the official addition of the 42nd star on July 4, 1890. Those who tried to jump the gun by being the first to produce an up-to-date flag were surprised when Idaho was admitted to the United States on July 3...

The Second World War by Winston Churchill from Houghton-Mifflin Company, Boston. A vintage edition of Winston Churchill's six-volume memoir, The Second World War, for which he was a...