“Early women voters.” Well dressed men and women sit and stand on the porch of a building with signs that reads: “Polling Place, Ward and District 9, Precinct 1” and “Election Notice.” (Denver Public Library/Western History Collection/Z-8811)
election; voting; suffrage; history colorado; historic; denver public library; dpl; archive; archival; denverite
"Early women voters." Well dressed men and women sit and stand on the porch of a building with signs that reads: "Polling Place, Ward and District 9, Precinct 1" and "Election Notice." Circa 1907. (Denver Public Library/Western History Collection/Z-8811)
THROWBACK THURSDAY
No matter the outcome, election night this Tuesday will be historic in Hillary Clinton's breaking through the glass ceiling, becoming the first woman to be named a major party's presidential nominee in this country.
So it seems appropriate this #ThrowbackThursday to look at another milestone in gender equality, the eventual triumph of the womens' suffrage movement. These images found in the Denver Public Library's Western History Collection are a glimpse back into this watershed moment.
"Early women voters." View of a woman, a ward worker, in a dark dress and hat, talking to a woman who holds a baby and stands with a young girl. Circa 1907. (Denver Public Library/Western History Collection/Z-8811)
While the information associated with these images do not include an exact time and place, the planked porch in the first photo suggests a western locale, potentially Colorado.
It's quite likely these ladies were lined up to vote for or against Howard Taft, who was elected in 1908 and would later be documented visiting Denver in 1911.
President William Howard Taft seated in the back of a convertible automobile on a visit to Denver, Colorado. October 3, 1911. (Harry Mellon Rhoads/Denver Public Library/Western History Collection/Rh-5817)
Kevin is a multimedia artist who flung himself into the world of journalism. He likes using a camera and microphone to tell stories about workers, the environment, social justice and fascinating humans.
