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  POSTCARD WITH A SUFFRAGETTE DRESSED IN YELLOW AND DISPLAYING A YELLOW "VOTES FOR WOMEN" PENNANT, WITH A MESSAGE THAT CALLS FOR CALIFORNIA TO BECOME THE 6TH STATE TO ADOPT WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 8" x 10"
Flag Size (H x L): 3.5" x 5.5"
Description....:
Many people are aware that the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution, granted women with the right to vote in 1920. The vast majority of Americans are unaware, however, that the decision to do so, prior to that year, was a matter of states' rights. In other words, individual states could adopt suffrage, even if the Federal Government did not. Wyoming was the first such state to grant suffrage, in December of 1869, while still a territory. It then became the first actual state to adopt the same, when it formally joined the Union in 1890. The Washington Territory adopted suffrage in 1883, but the measure was reversed by the Supreme Court in 1887 and then re-adopted after statehood in 1910. The Utah Territory adopted suffrage in 1870 and became a state in 1896. Illinois adopted suffrage legislation in 1913, but it only applied to presidential and municipal elections and not state elections. Kansas allowed women to vote in municipal elections from 1887 onward, but didn't provide full suffrage until 1912.

The formal list follows:
1. 1890 Wyoming (1869 as a territory)
2. 1893 Colorado
3. 1896 Utah (1870 as a territory)
4. 1896 Idaho
5. 1910 Washington State (1883-87 as a territory)
Members of the Suffrage movement set goals to target legislation state-by-state in the American West, where the value of women on the frontier was keenly appreciated. This was done in hopes that if enough states led the way then the Eastern States would follow. In 1910-1911, following success in Washington State, the crosshairs were adjusted to California. This rare and attractive postcard was printed as part of that campaign, which was successful. California approved suffrage in 1911.

Past seeming to be a good color to represent sunny California, yellow was the customary color for the suffrage movement in America, usually paired with black letters. The image is a nice and attractive one, with a Suffragette holding a long pennant with the traditional "Votes for Women text usually featured on Suffrage pennants.

A copy of this postcard is documented in "American Woman Suffrage Postcards: A Study and Catalog" by Kenneth Florey (2013, McFarland & Co., Jefferson, NC) as item OC167 on p. 88. Florey notates the card as having been "printed in 1911." Similar examples are documented on pages 86 and 87, both without "California Next" text and with other, customized text, one of these with copper orange color instead of yellow and one with a very similar but different engraved image. Copies of this card in any form are rare.

Mounting: This is a pressure mount between 100% cotton twill, black in color, and U.V. protective acrylic. The black fabric was washed and treated to reduce and set the dye. The black-painted, gilded, and distressed molding is Italian.
Collector Level: Intermediate-Level Collectors and Special Gifts
Flag Type:
Star Count:
Earliest Date of Origin: 1911
Latest Date of Origin: 1911
State/Affiliation: California
War Association:
Price: SOLD
 

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