Woman Suffrage Postcard, 1913

Several different scenes of the 1913 suffrage parade and pageant in Washington, DC were available on postcards, a popular souvenir. The parade’s floats and marching sections represented women’s organizations and the progress of women’s rights. The tableau on the steps of the U.S. Treasury building illustrated the ideals of Justice, Charity, Liberty, Peace, and Hope.

On the day before the 1913 presidential inauguration, more than 5,000 women marched up Pennsylvania Avenue demanding the right to vote. Women from around the country came to Washington in a show of strength and determination to obtain the ballot. More than 10,000 spectators crowded the parade route. Some were simply boisterous but others were hostile. They spilled past the barriers and off the sidewalks, clogging Pennsylvania Avenue. Police officers were unable or unwilling to hold back the crowds and after the first four blocks the parade stalled as the marchers couldn’t pass through the mob. A cavalry unit from Fort Myer was finally called in to restore order and the parade finished hours late. The public was horrified, and a one-day event became an ongoing story, with demands for an investigation of the police department’s failure to protect the women.

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