Unfurling History: The Remarkable New York State Suffrage Movement Street Banner

At the heart of New York State's Suffrage Movement lies a powerful symbol of women's fight for equality - a political street banner encouraging viewers to “VOTE FOR WOMAN SUFFRAGE AMENDMENT No. 1 NOV 6th.” This banner comes from the Howland Stone Store Museum and dates to 1915, just two years before New York State voters passed Amendment One that granted voting rights to women.

The Street Banner for 'Votes for Woman Suffrage'

The banner, said to have hung in Auburn, NY, is possibly linked to Emily Howland, an influential figure in the Suffrage Movement. Emily Howland's pivotal role in the suffrage movement further enhances the banner's historical significance. Born in 1827, Howland’s involvement in the abolitionist movement led her also to champion women's rights, advocating for suffrage. Her lifelong dedication to social justice and women's rights earned her the admiration of prominent suffragists such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

She was honored as a pioneer and leader, financing both the New York State Woman Suffrage Association and the National American Woman Suffrage Association. She spoke at significant events, including the thirtieth anniversary of the Seneca Falls Woman's Rights Convention in 1878 as well as before the New York State legislature in 1894.

Emily Howland

This street banner features four white cotton fabric panels that have been painted blue leaving the letters white, the same as the fabric. These panels are double sided and supported onto a net ground. Yellow triangle appear to have been later attached to each corner of the net ground. Below the net hangs a blue cotton valance, scalloped at the edges, and stenciled in white paint with the name of the banner’s manufacturer: ANNIN & Co. NY. Annin & Co is still making flags and it the oldest American flag manufacturer.

After careful vacuuming and gentle cleaning, the creases in the large fields of the banner were humidified and flattened, making the banner easier to read and protecting the painted areas from stress. The blue fabric valance, displaying splits and deterioration, received special attention.

A sheer fabric infused with a conservation grade adhesive was used to stabilize extensive splitting. A fabric matching that of the original was used to support underneath the most damaged area with a sheer netting stitched in place on top. 

(left) The many tears and weak areas; (right) The tears aligned and supported, before areas of loss were filled.

The New York State Suffrage Movement street banner stands as a timeless testament to the courage and determination of suffragists. With its conservation treatment complete, this banner will continue to inspire and educate, honoring the struggles and achievements of those who paved the way for gender equality.

As we celebrate the suffragists' legacy, the banner remains a poignant symbol of progress and a reminder of the ongoing journey towards an equitable and inclusive society. Its conservation and preservation ensure that future generations can draw inspiration from the bravery and vision of those who came before them.

The banner rolled onto its storage tube and being walked to the truck. Marilyn Post (left), Linda VanBuskirk (center), Gwen Spicer (right).

 

Conserving New York's Suffrage Wagon

The journeys of historical artifacts often take many twists and turns; their stories become embellished and some undergo physical changes that make deciphering their histories all the more challenging. In honor of Women’s History Month, we thought it would be interesting to share the conservation challenges of a wagon that was used by the New York State Suffrage Association to advance the cause of women’s right to vote in the early 20th century.

The treated wagon as on display at the New York State Museum. The
later letting 'Sprit of 1776' can  be easy seen

In June of 1913, the Association received the wagon as a gift from the I.S. Remson Manufacturing Company in Brooklyn for use in suffrage parades in New York City and Long Island. The wagon was said to have a Revolutionary War pedigree, although that story has not been corroborated. After the right to vote was successfully achieved, the wagon was retained by the Kearns family who accepted it on behalf of the Association until it eventually made its way to the New York State Museum by way of the short-lived Museum of Women in Manhattan. A side panel on the wagon is painted with the lettering, "Spirit of 1776," the name Edna Buckman Kearns is said to have named the vehicle, according to her great-granddaughter. Was this because of the unfounded pedigree? We'll likely never know.

The wagon when on parade. The lettering visible
in the image can only faintly seen, but still
present (see the image below).

The wagon, accurately termed a New England Pleasure Wagon, received conservation treatment by Gwen Spicer and Ron duCharme in 2000, with the goal of stabilizing it for exhibit. The treatment focused on the three materials used in the wagon’s construction – the wood wheels, axles, and body; the body's painted surfaces; and the iron springs, wheel hubs and rims.

Inadequate storage and exposure to weather take their toll on wood and painted surfaces. Dry rot, shrinkage, warping and crumbling paint are common problems. In the case of the wagon, they were compounded by grease, oil and bird guano.

A thorough cleaning required removing the wood body and wheels from the carriage. What was left of the lettering on the wagon body’s sides needed to be protected to prevent further paint loss during the remainder of the cleaning process. This was achieved by consolidating the painted surfaces with a dilute solution of Acryloid B-72, applied by brush. Dirt and soil could then be removed from the body with diluted detergent and water. Grease and oil on the running gear were cleaned with mineral spirits.

The wagon during the stabilization of the painted regions. At
least two campaigns of  paint are present. The '6' of 1776 can
be seen in the image above.

A separated side panel was glued back into place and small wood losses and missing molding were reproduced, glued in place and toned. Plaster fill from a previous restoration was removed.

All heavily corroded metal components were cleaned with brass bristle brushes, degreased with mineral spirits and then coated with magnesium phosphyl in order to chelate the metal before being painted with dilute black enamel.

The uneven color of the wood surfaces was evened out by brushing on water-soluble aniline dye. A final protective application of dilute Acryloid B-72 in xylene was thinly applied to all surfaces by spray gun and a second thin-layer was applied to heavily weathered areas.

Despite its centuries of use, the Suffrage Wagon has earned its place in history. It can no longer withstand prolonged stress and most certainly cannot hold people or be pulled any distance. For long-preservation, the recommended temperature is between 60-70 F, and relative humidity between 40-55%. Light levels should be between 5 and 10 footcandles.

Additional Resources

Bill Bleyer. Women's groups petition NY state museum to display LI suffrage leader's wagon.    Newsday.  June 27, 2015. Accessed March 23, 2018.

Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute. Preserving and Restoring Furniture Coatings. Accessed March 23, 2018.

Women want to vote! Conservation of artifacts from the Women's Suffrage Movement.

The most important way I can think of to celebrate International Women's Day on Sunday, March 8th is to honor the women who fought tirelessly to secure the right to vote. The Women's Suffrage Movement is one of the quintessential time periods in women's history; and to imagine that the 19th amendment is just 95 years old this year is amazing. How far we have come, and how far we need to go.

The Finger Lakes region of Central New York was an active place in the nineteenth century. So many of us are familiar with the stories of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the town of Seneca Falls, New York; birthplace of the Women's Suffrage movement. But less than 25 miles away there was a hot bed of activity in Sherwood, New York, which then, like now, is just a dot on the map with no traffic light, only cross roads.

In 1837 Slocum Howland (1794-1881), a Quaker, abolitionist, prohibitionist and suffragist, built the Howland Stone Store Museum in Sherwood, a crossroads between Cayuga and Owasco Lakes to the west and east and the cities of Auburn and Ithaca to the north and south. Cayuga Lake gave it easy access to the Erie Canal. According to the museum, "The Howland family, particularly Emily (1827-1929) and her niece, Isabel (1859-1942) were prominent in important reform movements throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century, particularly in the abolition of slavery, education, and women's suffrage. A prized Museum possession is an Underground Railroad pass brought by two slaves who escaped from Maryland and came to Slocum Howland seeking freedom in 1840 (image is below. the display mount is two-sided). Emily Howland first taught in schools for free blacks in Washington, D.C. in 1857. In addition to building a school in Sherwood, she founded and financially supported fifty schools for emancipated slaves, teaching in several of them." Both Emily and her niece, Isabel were active in the local, state and national women's suffrage movements. The sign below, is from the collection at the Museum and is a clear message. The sign was treated here at SAC last year. The tears in the canvas, as well as the cracking paint, were all quite pronounced. The top image is before the treatment, while the bottom image was taken after treatment. Patricia White, director of the Museum and a descendant of the Howland family said Emily Howland first met Susan B. Anthony in 1851, and maintained a close friendship with the woman throughout her life. Although her sympathies always remained with the fight for equality (and her unending desire for education for anyone, regardless of their color), Howland started to get more heavily involved in the national movement for suffrage in 1891. That year, Howland started the Cayuga County Political Equality Club (image above with the "5315" sign in the foreground), and organization. White said the politically active group, housed on Auburn's Exchange Street, was comprised of both men and women who carried around and collected petitions (which, I would imagine from the image above, were signed by 5,315 women!). And although women didn't earn their final goal until 1920, White said Howland and her colleagues won small victories along with way — such as the right for men and women to share joint legal custody of their children, and finally changing the law to allow women to inherit property from their husbands. But eventually, the petitions, speeches and marches paid off. And at age 92, Emily Howland headed to the polls and, for the first time, legally cast her vote. Recently, our SAC studio manager's 9 year-old daughter had the opportunity to play with her third grade basketball team on the "big court" at a local college just prior to the women's basketball team taking the floor for a game against a rival university. They quickly realized there was a big event also taking place on the campus, a "Woman's Expo". As they neared the door, the 9 year-old looked up at her mother and asked, "what is a woman's expo anyway?". The reply from mom was that she hoped it was about leadership and decision making and equality and the amazing things women are capable of, and do, each and every day! Sadly, it was focused on shopping and make-up. UGH! _____________________________ Gwen Spicer is a textile conservator in private practice.  Spicer Art Conservation specializes in textile conservation, object conservation, and the conservation of works on paper.  Gwen's innovative treatment and mounting of flags and textiles is unrivaled.   To contact her, please visit her website.