Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 7

Carrie Chapman's "Woman Suffrage Party" Pennant, New York City, ca 1912-1920

About the Item

"VOTES FOR WOMEN" PENNANT WITH AN IMAGE OF A 1911 STATUETTE CALLED "SUFFRAGIST" BY ELLA BUCHANNAN, MADE FOR CARRIE CHAPMAN CATT'S "WOMAN SUFFRAGE PARTY" OF NEW YORK CITY, CA 1912-20 This exceptional, triangular, suffragette pennant, made of black and golden yellow felt, features a printed illustration of a statuette designed by a woman named Ella Buchannan, entitled the "The Suffragist Arousing Her Sisters". The image displays the suffragist blowing her clarion over the figures of degradation, vanity, conventionality, and wage earner. Next to it the name “Woman Suffrage Party” appears in small letters. Beyond the statuette, in a large and somewhat whimsical Roman characters, printed in blue, are the words "Votes for Women." There is a yellow felt binding along the hoist and two sets of black felt ties. American suffrage items were generally yellow with black text, though there was a myriad of organizations and some distinguished themselves through the use of different colors. Within New York State, blue is often seen on objects advertising a sister organization called the “Empire State Campaign Committee,” effecting the primary color of the New York State Flag. There are many types of Suffragette pennants, all of which are very desirable. Among them this is a standout. Two similar versions of it were distributed by Carrie Chapman Catt's "Woman Suffrage Party" of New York City. One, in all yellow, with black lettering, is illustrated in a journal entitled the "Keynoter" (Summer/Fall/Winter 2008, Vol. 2008, No. 2-4), p. 42. Compiled and written by Kenneth Florey, this is the best reference on Suffrage memorabilia. Another, with differently styled lettering, also in all yellow, appears in "Women's Suffrage Memorbilia," by Kenneth Florey (2013, McFarland & Co., North Carolina), on page B1. A third, like the “Keynoter” example, but in all black with yellow lettering, appears in "Threads of History" by Herbert Ridgeway Collins (1979, Smithsonian Press), as item 991 on page 391. A similar example, in black and yellow, like the example that is the subject of this narrative, though without the party name and with a different version of the statuette illustration, showing only 3 of the 4 figures, is also illustrated on page 42 of the “Keynoter” journal. Founded in 1909 as the "Woman's Party," and changing its name soon thereafter, the WSP was a New York organization formed by Carrie Chapman Catt at something called the "Convention of Disfranchised Women." Held at Carnegie Hall, the event, sponsored by Catt's Interurban Suffrage Council, brought together a host of local suffrage groups, organizing them into a new political machine. The following record of the initial meeting of the WSP was recorded in The News-Palladium under the heading: "Suffragists Party a Reality, Born at First Political Convention of Disfranchised": New York, Oct. 30. [1909]--The woman's party is no longer a theory but a reality, and Mrs. Carrie Chapman-Catt is its chairman. It was born at the first political convention of disfranchised women last night in Carnegie Hall, with all the prestige that could be imparted by the brains, wealth, and beauty of the movement to obtain the ballot for women. The whole tone of the rally, under the auspices of the Interurban Suffrage Council, was kept within conservative limits as a tacit protest against the Pankhurst meeting and the militant methods involved. It is understood that so fixed was the determination of Mrs. Clarence Mackay, chairwoman of the platform committee, to keep the demands reasonable and dignified that she refused to permit the insertion of two planks which verged on sensationalism or suggested partisanship. It was on this score that the "white slave" question was untouched and that the platform, which Mrs. Mackay read, asked such action as concerns women's position as a civic and national factor.   With the help of Mary Garrett Hay, Catt organized the WSP like the Democratic Party, with representatives from each assembly district. Organizers in many other states and cities soon followed, organizing on a local level so that every election district was covered. 804 delegates were sent to the original meeting, and by 1915 when the suffrage issue came to a vote for the first time in New York State, WSP membership was 100,000 strong. The vote was lost in that year, but passed just two years later, in 1917, and New York became the first eastern state to give women the right to vote. 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 preservation of flags and related textiles and have framed thousands of examples. The pennant has been hand-stitched to a background of 100% natural hemp fabric, ivory in color. The two-part frame consists of a scooped profile molding that is very dark brown in color, with graining that shows through and a reddish-orange, beaded lip. To this, a deep, shadowbox style molding, with a flat profile, a gold face, and black sides, was added as a cap. A shadowbox was created to accommodate the ties. The glazing is U.V. protective Plexiglas. Condition: There is moderate soiling of the yellow felt over part of the surface area.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 21 in (53.34 cm)Width: 43 in (109.22 cm)Depth: 2.5 in (6.35 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1912-1920
  • Condition:
    See Item Description.
  • Seller Location:
    York County, PA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: ws-1381stDibs: LU849737581012

More From This Seller

View All
American Suffrage Movement 'Votes for Women" Pennant, circa 1912-1920
Located in York County, PA
AMERICAN SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT PENNANT WITH "VOTES FOR WOMEN" TEXT, IN A LARGE SIZE AND WITH ATTRACTIVE PATINA FROM AGE AND OBVIOUS USE, circa 1912-1920 American Suffrage movement penna...
Category

Early 20th Century American Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Materials

Felt

Women's Suffrage Movement Pennant w/ Bold Color, Votes For Women Text, 1912-1919
Located in York County, PA
American Suffrage movement pennant, with a standard, triangular taper. Made of yellow felt, with tapered letters that read simply: "Votes for Women," bo...
Category

Early 20th Century American Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Materials

Felt

Swallowed Tailed, Suffragette Pennant in Black and Orange, circa 1912-1920
Located in York County, PA
Large, swallow tailed, suffragette pennant in a black & orange color combination unique to this example, with applied lettering that reads "Votes for Women” down a wide, central stri...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Materials

Felt, Cotton

British Suffrage Movement Cigarette Case and "Cinderella" Stamp, ca 1895-1923
Located in York County, PA
BRITISH SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT CIGARETTE CASE AND ‘CINDERELLA’ STAMP WITH “VOTES FOR WOMEN” SLOGAN Enameled silver cigarette cases became popular in the latter 19th century and remained ...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century English Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Materials

Metal

United State Marine Corps Parris Island Pennant ca 1917-1930
Located in York County, PA
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS PENNANT FROM PARRIS ISLAND, circa WWI (U.S. INVOLVEMENT 1917-18) -1930’s Faded, red, felt, United States Marine Corps pennant with a variant of the central device of its official seal printed in blue, yellow, gold, tan, and white pigments, and “Parris Island S.C.” in white beyond, slightly arched, extending toward the tapered point. Note the whimsical profile of the letter “c,” with an exaggerated, scrolling tail. The device generally consists of a federal eagle perched upon a globe, superimposed on a canted anchor with a whirling chain, the combination of which is to symbolize the Corps’ watchful, worldwide, maritime presence. In this instance the image was modified to fit the elongated profile of a pennant’s basic design, with the anchor rotated slightly clockwise to the horizontal, an adaptation sometimes encountered in both Marine Corps and U.S. Navy examples. The colors used to represent the Marine Corps changed over time. The present combination of scarlet red and gold, predominant here, were formally adopted in 1925, but American military traditions tend to be as hard to extinguish as the men and women of their ranks, and the Corps was certainly no exception. 14 years would pass before the official change caught up with the Marine Corps’ flag...
Category

Early 20th Century Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Materials

Felt

West Point Pennant with Striking Colors and Graphics, ca 1940-1950
Located in York County, PA
WEST POINT PENNANT WITH STRIKING COLOR & GRAPHICS, WWII ERA - 1950's Triangular pennant, made for the United States Military Academy at West Point, with exceptional colors and graph...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Materials

Felt

You May Also Like

Duke & Duchess of Windsor Sotheby's New York Memorabilia Auction Catalogue Book
Located in Dublin, Ireland
This is a two-volume boxed set of sale catalogues each with 550 pages which were produced by Sotheby's Auction House in New York in 1997 for the disposal of the effects of the Duke a...
Category

20th Century British Modern Books

Materials

Paper

Erie County New York Judges & Police Conference Portable Lecturn or Podium & Bag
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
The maker of this lecturn is unknown, but presumed to have originated from the United States and date to approximately 1965. The podium is composed of pine boards and playwood with h...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Historical Memorabilia

Materials

Pine

Toy Children's American "Flag Blocks" by The Embossing Co. New York Circa 1940
Located in Incline Village, NV
Fabulous set of children's blocks (54 in all) stenciled, hand painted, and decorated on all sides, but featuring the 48 star American Flag (created in 1912 with addition of New Mexic...
Category

Vintage 1940s American Folk Art Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Materials

Wood

48-Star Printed American Flag, Commemorating Arizona Statehood, 1912-1958
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
This is an original 48-star American parade flag, celebrating Arizona statehood. A wonderful product of our nation's early history, this flag is an authentic antique, with a fly date...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Materials

Fabric

Theodore Roosevelt Plaque Portrait by James Earl Fraser, 1920
By James Earle Fraser
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Presented an original Theodore Roosevelt plaque portrait by James Earle Fraser. This work was produced by the Decorative Arts League of New York in 1920. This attractive plaque featu...
Category

Vintage 1920s American Art Nouveau Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Materials

Bronze

Thomas Dewey & Harry Truman 1948 Presidential Election Campaign Collage
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Presented is a unique commemorative collage, celebrating the 1948 U.S. presidential election between Harry Truman and Thomas Dewey. This one-of-a-kind collage features a Harry Truman signed...
Category

Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Political and Patriotic Memora...

Materials

Metal

Recently Viewed

View All