A Virtual Lecture presented by the Clements Library and the Michigan Photographic Historical Society

Since the nation’s founding, Americans have used images to define political power and gender roles. Popular pictures praised male political leaders, while cartoons mocked women who sought rights. In the mid-nineteenth century, women’s rights activists like Sojourner Truth and Susan B. Anthony challenged these powerful norms by distributing engraved and photographic portraits that represented women as political leaders. Over time, suffragists developed a national visual campaign to win voting rights. Their photographs captured their public protests and demonstrated their dedication to their cause for mass audiences. Allison Lange’s talk is based on her book Picturing Political Power: Images in the Women’s Suffrage Movement (University of Chicago Press, 2020). Dr. Lange is an assistant professor of history at the Wentworth Institute of Technology.