The Brandywine to present Votes for Women: A Visual History in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment

Chadds Ford, PA, December 18, 2019— Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the Brandywine River Museum of Art will present Votes for Women: A Visual History, an exhibition that rediscovers the visual language of the women’s suffrage movement. The long road to women’s suffrage, spanning the 19th and early-20th centuries, played out very differently from political movements today. In the absence of televised and digital media, the suffragists spread their message through magazines, political cartoons, posters, plays, parades and even through fashion. Focusing on the decade prior to ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, the exhibition examines the compelling imagery of the suffrage movement, revealing how the “look” of women’s rights developed and deciphering the important visual strategies that propelled it forward.

Organized by the Brandywine and curated by Amanda C. Burdan, Ph.D., Votes for Women: A Visual History will feature more than 200 artifacts from the suffrage movement. Drawings, illustrations and posters from museums, historical societies and private collections will provide the visual language to decode the complex political messages conveyed by suffragists. Also included will be early film footage as well as historic photographs and banners from rallies and marches, including the 1913 Women’s Suffrage Procession in Washington D.C. Examples of the costumes, clothing, sashes and other emblems of women’s activism worn by suffragists will enliven the presentation.

“This exhibition picks up on the visual explosion of the suffrage movement in the early 20th century,” notes Amanda C. Burdan, Ph.D., curator at the Brandywine River Museum of Art. “With a younger generation joining the cause, there was a dramatic shift in the marketing of the movement and how the suffragists spread their message through the material culture of the time—making themselves and their campaign more visible. Votes for Women: A Visual History not only highlights the success of these efforts, but also underscores how the imagery of the movement effectively penetrated American culture, creating a renewed momentum towards the finish line of ratification in 1920.”

While the Nineteenth Amendment finally granted women the right to vote, ongoing voting struggles persisted for marginalized communities following its ratification. Presenting an inclusive historical narrative, Votes for Women: A Visual History recognizes the significant contributions of women of color and their community networks, which have been historically overlooked, giving the false impression that women of color were absent from the struggle for voting rights.

As a way to recognize women of color from the suffrage movement, the Brandywine has commissioned a diverse group of women artists to create a mural of illustrated portraits of some of the women whose role in winning voting rights has been historically minimized because of their race or ethnicity. The mural will include portraits of 14 local and national figures with accompanying biographies. These “Hidden Figures of the Suffrage Movement” include Ethel Cuff Black, of Wilmington, Delaware, who was a founder of Delta Sigma Theta, the African American sorority that marched in the 1913 suffrage parade in Washington, D.C.; Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin, a member of Turtle Mountain Chippewa Band, who worked as an attorney for the Office of Indian Affairs; and Sofia de Veyra, a Filipina working diligently for women’s rights in Washington D.C., before organizing a suffrage campaign in her native Philippines. The commissioned works will be completed in a variety of media and styles by artists Alexandra Beguez, Laura Freeman, Sarah Jung, Shadra Strickland and Sally Wern Comport.

Votes for Women: A Visual History will be on view at the Brandywine from February 1–June 7, 2020, and will include a robust series of public programs that will explore and unlock the themes of the exhibition, including lectures, music and theatrical performances, gallery talks and more. A related Speaker Series & Summit will focus on historic and contemporary women’s issues, featuring a variety of voices—including those of executive leaders, historians, entrepreneurs and community activists. These dynamic programs will provide a forum to engage directly with women’s history and shed light on the historic and contemporary battles for equality.

As the Votes for Women exhibition will further illuminate, the visual lessons of the suffrage movement provided a model for later activism, including the civil rights and social justice movements up to the present day, making this not just a centennial celebration, but a window into contemporary discourse.

Concurrent Exhibition: Witness to History: Selma Photography of Stephen Somerstein

Serving as a companion to the Votes for Women: A Visual History exhibition, Witness to History explores the historic 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama—a turning point in the civil rights movement that led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. This exhibition presents 55 of the photographs taken by Stephen Somerstein—then a 24-year-old student—on March 25, 1965, accompanied by his commentary of the day’s events. With five cameras around his neck and only 15 rolls of film, Somerstein documented this pivotal moment in history, capturing photographs of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other prominent activists such as Rosa Parks, James Baldwin, Bayard Rustin, John Lewis, and Joan Baez. Somerstein also took photographs of his fellow demonstrators, as well as the anonymous bystanders who had gathered along route. Witness to History: Selma Photography of Stephen Somerstein is guest curated by Farrah Spott and on view at the Brandywine River Museum of Art from February 1 to June 14, 2020.

Votes for Women: A Visual History is generously made possible by PECO, The Coby Foundation, Ltd., the Arcadia Foundation, and The Center for American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Additional support has been provided by donors to the Brandywine River Museum of Art Exhibition Fund in honor of Christine Podmaniczky, including the Davenport Family Foundation, William C. and Laura Buck, Ms. Mary Graham, Mr. and Mrs. Anson McC. Beard Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Robert V. Duprey/Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Matz, Dr. and Mrs. John Fawcett, Morris & Boo Stroud, Mr. and Mrs. Christopher F. Buccini, Mr. Alan P. Slack, and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Lurquin Jr.

Art of the Vote educational programs are generously sponsored by PNC Arts Alive. The Votes for Women Speaker Series & Summit is sponsored by Chase, PECO, Qurate Retail Group and the Arcadia Foundation.

About the Brandywine River Museum of Art:

The Brandywine River Museum of Art features an outstanding collection of American art housed in a 19th-century mill building with a dramatic steel and glass addition overlooking the banks of the Brandywine. The Museum is located on Route 1 in Chadds Ford, PA. Admission is $18 for adults, $15 for seniors ages 65 and over, $6 for students and children ages 6 and up; free for children 5 and younger and Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art members. The Museum is open Wednesday–Monday (closed Tuesdays); current hours of operation can be found at brandywine.org/hours or by calling 610.388.2700. Guided tours of the Andrew Wyeth Studio, N. C. Wyeth House & Studio, and the Kuerner Farm—all National Historic Landmarks—are available seasonally (for an additional fee) from April through November; advance reservations are recommended. The Museum is one of the two programs of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.

About the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art:

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