Jeff Bridgman Antique Flags
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  LARGE TRIANGULAR SUFFRAGETTE PENNANT WITH "VOTES FOR WOMEN" TEXT AND TWO 1915 PENNSYLVANIA SUFFRAGE PINBACKS

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 22.25" x 39.25"
Flag Size (H x L): 11" x 26.5"
Description....:
Triangular, felt, suffragette pennant, with nice, large scale and black lettering that reads: "Votes for Women." Yellow was the customary color of the suffrage movement in America, coupled with a variety of subordinate colors, primarily black on felt textiles. Violet and green were the traditional colors of the women's movement in England, though these sometimes appear in the States. Suffragette pennants are particularly scarce and sought-after. This is nice example in a great, bold size.

Two pinback buttons are affixed near the hoist end, which has a black felt binding and ties. Each has Votes for Women text and the word “Pennsylvania” emblazoned across the state’s keystone symbol, accompanied by the date “1915.” This was a year of much anticipation. On November 2nd of that year, male voters defeated a referendum that would have given all women of the state the right to vote. Pennsylvania was among four eastern states where the issue came to a vote, including New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Although unsuccessful in all four, individual organizations within the movement, many of which had largely acted independently, and/or were populated largely by members of high society, recognized the need to combine forces, as well as to recruit greater numbers of working women. As men left for WWI (U.S. involvement 1917-18), the value of women in the workforce and at home was felt in even greater measure, which probably turned the tide.

Mounting: The textile was mounted and framed within our own conservation department, which is led by expert trained staff. We take great care in the mounting and presentation of flags and have preserved thousands of examples.

The background is 100% hemp fabric or a hemp & cotton blend (we use both interchangeably). The mount was placed in a modern molding with a scooped profile, with a finish that is very dark brown, nearly black, with red with a red undertone and highlights, to which a hand-gilded Italian molding with a similar profile was added as a liner. The glazing is U.V. protective plexiglass.

Condition: There is minor foxing and staining throughout.
Collector Level: Intermediate-Level Collectors and Special Gifts
Flag Type:
Star Count:
Earliest Date of Origin: 1915
Latest Date of Origin: 1915
State/Affiliation: Pennsylvania
War Association:
Price: SOLD
 

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