Frame Size (H x L): 27” x 18.25”
Pennant Size (H x L): 6.25” x 10” and Affixed to an 18” Staff

Offered is a rare suffragette pennant.  It is made of cotton bunting and has a swallowtail shape.  Its field is yellow.  Yellow was the primary color in the women’s suffrage movement in the US, and was combined with various other colors, though in most instances was combined with black.  An overprint of “Votes for Women” is printed across the field.  The pennant is attached to its original staff. 

In 1848, Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York.  As a result of this meeting in Stanton’s hometown, the document containing a declaration for women’s suffrage, right to education, and right to employment was drafted.  Over the next 50 years, numerous women’s conventions were hosted to bring strength to the movement in masses.  In 1906, the daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriot Stanton Blatch, founded the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women, which later became the Women’s Political Union.  The Women’s Political Union organized working-class suffragists and, in 1910, organized the first large scale suffrage march in the United States (in New York City). 

Though initially targeted as a state-by-state movement, it was ultimately recognized that only an amendment to the Constitution would grant all women the right to vote.  Amendments were introduced in 1878 and 1914, both of which were defeated.  By 1918, both political parties were committed to women’s suffrage, in part based on the major role women played in World War I.  As such, in January of 1918 and June of 1919, an amendment was passed by two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate, respectively.  On August 18th, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, giving the two-thirds of state legislators necessary to ratify the amendment.  On August 26th, the Nineteenth Amendment became part of the Constitution, and stated the following:

The 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.

Conservation Process: This pennant was hand sewn to cotton fabric, and both were hand sewn to a mounting board.  To prevent the black dye in the cotton fabric from seeping into the pennant, it was first washed in a standard wash and then in a dye setting wash.  The pennant is positioned behind a UV resistant acrylic and spaced apart therefrom using spacers. 

Frame: This offering is in an outstanding black and silver frame.

Condition Report: There are a few light stains, the most significant of which is a small circular stain at the top of the pennant.  But overall, this pennant is in excellent condition.     

Collectability Level: The Great – Perfect for Rising Collectors 
Date of Origin: 1910-1920