The focus of this blog post will be on the two artifacts I have chosen to analyze their rhetorical elements. Both are related to the women’s suffrage movement. I picked the women’s suffrage movement because it is an important piece of American history, that in relative terms did not take place that long ago. Much progress has been made, but still a lot of progress is needed for equal rights not only in America, but also in other countries.
This artifact is called “The Awakening” by Henry Mayer and was published in 1915 for Puck magazine’s suffrage issue. I will be analyzing this artifact in my Civic Engagement Speech. In the image, a map of America is shown with a women bearing resemblance to the Statue of Liberty walking across the nation from the west to the east.
In 1915 the states highlighted in the west had granted women the right to vote, while the states in the east shown in darkness had not. Wyoming was the first state that granted women voting rights, with other western states following soon after. The woman is shown to be carrying the torch to the eastern states, bringing the right to vote with her. The message in this image is very symbolic with the contrasting regions as the smaller figures representing women reach out towards the enlarged icon carrying the “torch” of voting rights.
The color gold also holds great significance, as it was considered the color of the women’s suffrage movement in America. Gold was first used by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, which then progressed to be used in sashes and pins for the suffrage movement. The strong emotional appeal is what drew me to this artifact, as well as the vivid use of color and contrast.
The second artifact is a cartoon by E. W. Gustin published in 1909. The image is against the women’s suffrage movement and shows what would take place on election day if women had the right to vote. Chaos would ensue within the home as women would leave the men behind to go vote, while the men would take care of the house and children. The vivid imagery of the children crying as plates lie broken appeal to the emotional sense that if women could vote, then the way of life in America, including the gender norms of the time, would be broken.
I chose this artifact because it is very intriguing to see the rhetoric used by the anti-suffrage movement as well as the motivation behind the movement. In the essay it will be interesting to compare and contrast the rhetoric used since the two artifacts argue for and against the same topic.
I love the images you picked! I actually had to analyze the first you included for my AP US History class and was so happy to see you had chosen it — I think it’s a very powerful image and has a lot you could analyze. I know we’re only supposed to analyze one image for the Civic Engagement Speech, but “The Awakening” has always reminded me of “American Progress” by John Gast (https://picturinghistory.gc.cuny.edu/john-gast-american-progress-1872/) which portrays the concept of manifest destiny. This painting uses very similar themes to “The Awakening” — a very regal figure in flowing robes making her way from light to darkness. I find it particularly fascinating to contrast these two images because in Gast’s painting, progress is from East to West, whereas Mayer’s illustration shows the same process from West to East.
I also am happy I got to take a closer look at your second artifact. What actually stood out the most to me about it when you presented it in class is that it didn’t seem chaotic *enough* for an anti-suffrage image. I would expect to see much more distinct disruption of the household, but what I noticed about it now that I got the chance to zoom in a little closer is the wall-hanging in the upper right corner. The frame of it instantly reminded me of classic cross-stitch samplers, like this one that has “Home Sweet Home” embroidered on it: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-home-sweet-home-needlepoint-1895332091. The fact that the frame in the image has “Votes For Women” provides a very stark contrast to the one in the link I included. I bet you can find a lot more subtle references like that if you poke around the image more.
I’m really looking forward to your speech and analysis in the coming weeks!
I really like how many visual elements are involved in both pictures. I was extremely surprised to see how much symbolism is behind the color gold in the first image– it really shows how much meaning can be conveyed in an image, even just by the coloring of it. There is also a lot of elements present in the second image. My eyes were immediately drawn to the black cat under the chair– maybe you can look at the superstitious background of the black cat and how women voting could be considered to be “bad luck”. I am really excited to see how you pick apart these two pieces!