Lisa McCarty

In response to the Yellow Rose Project invitation I became interested in suffrage buttons. Individual suffragettes, as well as suffrage organizations, often produced and distributed buttons, as a means to visually influence public opinion. Despite the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920, it occurs to me that public opinion is in need of further influence.

According to a study by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, only 63.3 percent of eligible women report exercising their right to vote. Additionally, although women make up a slight majority of registered voters, only one in four state legislators are women. And, as we all know, the greatest glass ceiling in American politics has yet to be broken.

For my submission to the Yellow Rose Project I have recreated suffrage buttons from the late 19th and early 20th century to encourage 21st century women to vote, and to vote specifically for women candidates. There are still many barriers, both social and structural, that prevent women from exercising their right to vote or from realizing their full political influence. These buttons can help to serve as a continued reminder of our capacity to create change.

Each button is a wearable cyanotype print made on 100lb archival paper. An adhesive safety pin bar is affixed on the backside. While these buttons are fragile, they are intended to be worn or displayed. The button images themselves come from a variety of public collections including the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Georgia State University Library, The University of Iowa Libraries, and the Ann Lewis Women’s Suffrage Collection.