12 Anti-Suffragette Posters Joan Marshall Kayla Johnson Andrew Doan Ellis Holden.

12 Anti-Suffragette PostersJoan MarshallKayla JohnsonAndrew DoanEllis Holden

• Founding Father figure is wearing patriotic colors and the women are not symbolizing that suffragists do not embody typical American values.

• The man is sitting because the suffragists are not imperative enough for him to stand up and engage with them.

• The woman is in a medieval looking torture device and does not seem comfortable.

• The speaker is making this comical with the bright colors and elaborate device but there is some truth behind it.

• The speaker wants to “squash” the suffragists in a figurative way but is showing that happening literally.

• Uses rhymes to soften the tone but the message is harsh

• The oldest woman in the bottom right picture looks deranged and obscene. She poses a physical threat with the axe next to the label that reads, “votes for woman,” symbolizing her threat to society. Her face is red and her hair messy, no self-respecting woman would desire to look like

• They’ve made it so being a suffragette isn’t something one would choose to do, but rather something someone is forced to do and American culture is built on the freedom of choice. Anything restricting that just seems downright evil.

• The little girl says nobody loves her but she has destroyed her male doll, implying that nobody likes her because she’s a hateful and destructive suffragette.

• The dog in the background watches fearfully as the child that he has sworn to protect as the dog of the household is willingly changing herself and tormenting herself (supposedly).

• The bright pink dress emphasizes how cute and innocent she is but the bland, faded overalls represent a forced change into adulthood and the loss of her innocence and happiness.

• To begin all of the suffragettes resemble the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland with their huge hair and weird makeup.

• They’re eating pretzels and ice cream at a bar instead of drinking alcohol like an adult would, making them seem unreasonably childish.

• The color scheme is overwhelmingly green, possibly to show jealousy of the men in the background who are acting so civilized and not making eye contact.

• The sign in the background reads “no trust,” which could mean either no money trusted on credit, all drinks are to be paid for upfront. Or it could mean that they don’t trust anyone because they’re crazy old women.

• The only way a women would go about getting votes is to use her body or sexuality to do so.

• The man’s hat is knocked off and he’s not grabbing her meaning he’s taken aback. Possibly to show how much more refined he is than the crazy suffragette.

• The text at the bottom reads, “the easiest way,” meaning using words to explain why they deserve the vote would not make any sense and no one would want to vote for them.

• Water board all the suffragettes

• Very Intense scene• Dark• Expresses that the torture

of suffragettes should be acceptable

"The Ducking-Stool and a nice deep pool were our fore-fathers plan for a scold, and could I have my way, each Suffragette to-day, Should 'take the chair' and find the water cold."

• He looks very upset• He’s doing woman’s work• Showing that suffragettes

don’t work hard or take care of their families

• Reads “Suffragette Series #11,” in the top right corner, could possibly be from a magazine

• Since now he’s doing housework, he’s the one that is being controlled

• The suffragettes are in prison• It is showing that prison was no big deal even

though this wasn’t the case• Almost making a joke of the entire situation• Seems like going to prison is just a big party

• The image we see is very bare, just a suffragette standing on a box with a “vote for women” sign alongside text in a Dutch/German accented text. The text implies that the woman is neglecting her domestic duties by campaigning for woman’s suffrage, as stated in the text with she “darns her men” “but not her sox” darns the men as a euphemism for damn, but not darn the sox as in mend. It is also notable that a Dutch/German accent was used in the text, as during the early 1900’s it was seen primarily as an insult.

• Here you are immediately drawn to the woman who is holding the reins of the horse drawn carriage, not only because of the fact that she is in the middle of the image, but because her dress is pulled up and the glare of her white bloomers draw your attention.

• At first glance we see a woman, a suffragette, assuming a traditionally male duty to the erotic delight of the men, one man with a whip and below her another man is holding her legs and looking up her dress, so really she thinks she is in control, yet she is the one being controlled and taken advantage of, drawing likeness to the horse.

• What we see is what can only be described as the ideal woman, everything from her physique to the way she carries herself, and what is running behind her is a representation of a suffragette.

• The “ideal” woman is holding up a sign that says “No votes, thank you,” with her mouth closed as women back in the day were expected to be seen but not heard while

• The running suffragette is yelling and holding a sign that says “votes.” The suffragette is also physically portrayed as a spinster, as well as being portrayed as masculine in the ideals of 1900’s, not very full formed, loud, and running, which is ungraceful for women.

Conclusion

• The purpose could have been to diminish the standing of suffragists through humor and thinly veiled threats.

• The audience for these postcards or posters would have been suffragette women themselves, men who support suffragists, and children who could become suffragists. These posters also could boost moral for those who apposed women’s suffrage.

• How does this relate to Jill Lepore’s The Secret History of Wonder Women?

Citation

Oneill, Theresa. "12 Cruel Anti-Suffragette Cartoons." Mental Floss. Mental Floss®, 21 June 2015. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. <http://mentalfloss.com/article/52207/12-cruel-anti-suffragette-cartoons>