Frame Size (H x L): 17” x 36”
Pennant Size (H x L): 7.5” x 24” with 2.5” tassels.

Offered is a rare suffragette pennant made for the Woman Suffrage Procession, the first suffragette parade in Washington D.C., and the first large, organized march ever held therein for political purposes.  This is the first such pennant that we have encountered.  The Procession took place on March 3rd, 1913, a day before the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson.  The timing was strategic and in the spirit of maximizing attention.  The purpose of the parade, as described in the official program, was to “march in a spirt of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded.”  Or in slightly more technical terms, the ultimate purpose was to pass a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote.      

The National American Woman Suffrage Associated (“NAWSA”) spearheaded the Procession, and Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, chairs of the NAWSA’s Congressional Committee, choreographed it.  Sitting atop a horse, Inez Milholland, a lawyer and activist, led over 5000 suffragettes up Pennsylvania Avenue.  The parade included 20 floats; 9 bands; 4 mounted brigades; and various groups representing women at home, in school, and in the workplace.  The Procession concluded at the Treasury Building, where an allegorical tableau was acted out in combination with the parade.  The final act was a rally at the Memorial Continental Hall, featuring prominent speakers, including Anna Howard Shaw and Helen Keller.       

PENNANT CONSTRUCTION
The field of the pennant includes a red portion, a small white portion, and a blue portion.  The red portion includes an eagle; a sepia paper portrait of a suffragette; and the year of the Procession, 1913.  The eagle and the reference to 1913 are in white, and the white includes metallic glitter.  The paper portrait is glued to the pennant.  The blue portion includes a “SOUVENIR” overprint.  The overprint is white, and the white includes metallic glitter.  The pennant further includes two blue tassels. 

This pennant is not documented in the Threads of History, written by Herbert Ridgeway Collins.  Collins was the curator of the Division of Political History at the Smithsonian Institute.  His book is the best reference available for political textile collectors and includes over 1500 examples, dating from 1775 to 1979.  In writing his book, Mr. Collins sent thousands of letters to collectors, museums, and universities, and requested their assistance in documenting every political textile.  Despite his efforts, this pennant is not documented therein, which points to its rarity.

We are not certain of who made this pennant.  However, pennants exhibiting similar construction, style, and features were made by Rudolph Brothers, headquartered at 19 N. 5th Street in Philadelphia.  They were "Jobbers of Toys & Novelties."  Rudolph Brothers pennants often include oval portraits, metallic components, and dates—similar to the pennant offered herein.  Rudolph Brothers also made various pennants for Wilson’s inauguration on March 4th, 1913.  One such example is featured in the Threads of History as item 958.

THE SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT GENERALLY
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 Optium Museum Acrylic.

Frame: This pennant is in a special edition Medium Frame. 

Condition Report: There is a minor stain across a bit of the red portion and the small white portion.  The small white portion exhibits some slight toning.  The red portion appears to have faded slightly, though it hard to say, as it may have been a light red from the start.  There is a small crease across the paper portrait of the suffragette.

Collectability Level: The Great – Perfect for Rising Collectors 
Date of Origin: 1913