Frame Size (H x L): 25” x 21”
Fan Size (H x L): 11” x 7”

Offered is an antique suffragette fan, dating to 1917. The fan includes a wooden stick and a paper portion attached thereto. The paper portion of the fan has a yellow field. 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 it was combined with black. The paper portion includes, in part, the following overprint on its obverse:

KEEP COOL
AND RAISE
A Breeze for Suffrage!
Vote for Woman Suffrage Nov. 6th | Vote for Woman Suffrage Nov. 6

It also includes the following overprint on its reverse:

To New York Voters
The rose is red
The violet’s blue
We want to vote
As well as you!
HAVE A HEART!
Vote for Woman Suffrage Nov. 6!
Printed by N.W.S. Pub. Co.

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.

Nov. 6th on this fan is a reference to the election day, November 6th, 1917, in New York. Amendment Number 1 of the election asked, “Shall the proposed amendment to section one of article two of the Constitution, conferring equal suffrage upon women, be approved?” Suffrage supporters encouraged voters to answer “YES,” via this fan and other similar items, such as pins, pennants, ribbons, and banners. On November 6th, women indeed won the right to vote in New York, making it the first Eastern state to fully enfranchise women.

Though initially targeted as a state-by-state movement, it was ultimately recognized that only an amendment to the Constitution would grant all women, across the country, the right to vote. Amendments to the US Constitution 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 US 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 fan 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 fan, it was first washed in a standard wash and then in a dye setting wash. The fan is positioned behind Optium Museum Acrylic.

Frame: This offering is in a modern black and gold frame.

Condition Report: As shown in the images, this fan includes some very minor stains and tears. But generally, it is bright, attractive, and in excellent condition.

Collectability Level: The Great – Perfect for Rising Collectors
Date of Origin: 1917