American women’s suffrage activists were fascinated with suffrage themed postcards. They collected them, exchanged them, wrote about them, used them as fundraisers and organized “postcard day” campaigns. The cards they produced were imaginative and ideological, advancing arguments for the enfranchisement of women and responding to antisuffrage broadsides. Commercial publishers were also interested in suffrage cards, recognizing their profit potential. Their products, though, were reactive rather than proactive, conveying stereotypes they assumed reflected public attitudes—often negative—towards the movement. Cataloging approximately 700 examples, this study examines the “visual rhetoric” of suffrage postcards in the context of the movement itself and as part of the general history of postcards.

Kenneth Florey, professor emeritus at Southern Connecticut State University, is a long-time specialist in woman suffrage memorabilia. He has lectured on the subject in the U.S. and abroad, appeared on television, and written articles for a variety of publications. He lives in Madison, Connecticut.

Kenneth Florey
Format: softcover (8.5 x 11)
Pages: 368
Bibliographic Info: 726 color photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2015
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9846-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2078-7
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments  1
Introduction  4
Official Suffrage Postcards  14
Real Photo Suffrage Postcards  100
Printed Photo Suffrage Postcards  157
Holiday Suffrage Postcards  183
Commercial Suffrage Postcards  213
Commercial Suffrage Postcards—Sets  275
Notes  349
Works Cited  354
Index  356