Graphic Magazine Covers

In the 19th century, many popular magazines and periodicals were hostile to the concept of “Women’s Rights,” perhaps not only because of male bias (and some female bias) on the part of their editors, but also out of concern that any change to society might undercut their appeal to readers and advertisers. Even Joseph Keppler, the Austrian immigrant founder of Puck, a satirical political weekly, was decidedly anti-suffrage despite his liberal political attitudes otherwise.

With the arrival of the 20th century and the popularity of women’s magazines, a sea change occurred, and now the media began to take up the cause of suffrage, perhaps out of a switch in personal beliefs on the part of editors, perhaps out of a sense of economic necessity for women often were now their primary customers. Even Puck on Feb. 20, 1915 produced a special suffrage issue in conjunction with many suffragist organizations, including NAWSA. Other popular magazines employed famous artists, including James Montgomery Flagg, Joseph Leyendecker and Charles Dana Gibson, to draw colorful pro-suffrage illustrations for their covers. Life in particular was known for its special attention to the topic.