“The Lady and the Tiger”

This cartoon depicts the two big winners on Election Day, 1917, in New York. Voters adopted a woman suffrage amendment to the state constitution, a measure backed by Tammany Hall, New York City's Democratic political machine. On the same day, Democrat John F. Hylan defeated both the Republican Mayor of New York City, John Purroy Mitchel, and Socialist candidate Morris Hillquit. The victory was a major triumph for Tammany Hall, here represented by the proud Tammany Tiger. While some states allowed women to vote, no national law guaranteed women that right until the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1920.