The Woman Candidate

This particular image, taken from the one time satirical publication "Women's Rights," is a paternalistic display of a typical argument that many men of the time used to oppose equal suffrage. By denying women the right to vote, opponents proclaimed that they were preserving the sanctity of women. To allow them to vote and to engage in political discourse in the marketplace would lead them to succumb to the temptations of the world. Here the female politician, arrayed in what some might term a "Dolly Varden" dress, appears ridiculous as she stands on top of a barrel addressing a crowd that includes at least one prominent black, probably intended as a racist comment.