To the Male Citizen.
[Suffrage]. [National American Woman Suffrage Association]. “To The Male Citizen.” National American Woman Suffrage Association flyer. New York: NAWSA, [c. post-1890].
Broadside, 8 ½ x 11”; acidic paper, browned; two black and white illustrations; text printed in black; horizontal crease where folded, one small chip. Framed.
A flyer proclaiming: “Demand votes for Women!” The strategy of the poster is to call attention to the ease with which “women’s work” is translated into traditionally men’s realms. There are two illustrations on the flyer, each picturing a woman in a different job: the first is a scrub woman in an office building, surrounded—and presumably ignored—by men; the second is a woman in uniform supervising male street sweepers. The captions read: “If this is womanly—Why not this?”
The text merits quoting in full:
Housekeeping is woman’s work—no man denies that. Government is public house-keeping—practically everybody agrees to that. Isn’t it foolish, then, to keep out of government the very people who have had most training for a large part of it functions? Men have never regarded it as unwomanly for women to do the scrubbing and cleaning indoors—even in public places, like office buildings. Why, then, should they think it unwomanly for women to keep the streets clean? Be logical and insist that women should no longer shirk their duty as house-keepers. You need their help.
A good demonstration of NAWSA’s common-sensical approach to the issue of woman suffrage; with the discreet Allied Printing/ Trades Council/ Union Label stamp.
(#1220)
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