Object of the Month: 1913 Women's Suffrage Postcard

February 16, 2024
Crowd of people marching

ON THE MARCH: On the day before the 1913 presidential inauguration, more than 5,000 women marched up Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., demanding the right to vote—the first march for women's suffrage in the nation's capital. Organized by Alice Paul and the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the procession included 20 parade floats, nine bands and four mounted brigades. Ten thousand spectators lined the route.

Several different scenes of the march were available on postcards, which became a popular souvenir. The parade's floats and marching sections represented women's organizations from across the country.

The march marked a turning point in the decades-long fight for women's suffrage. American women eventually won the right to vote in 1920, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.