What’s fun about working at Illinois State’s Archives are the exciting finds we come across on a regular basis.
It was in my third month as the new university archivist that I discovered we had swords. And not just any swords—Charles Hovey’s Civil War campaign and parade (dress) uniform swords! Since then, I’ve brought the swords to countless events to show students, faculty, and alums these pieces of their Redbird heritage.
Last week, while searching for examples of glass negatives, we came across another fun piece of Illinois State history. The Archives staff found a glass negative that showed a group of women (and a few men), wearing period clothing and holding signs. Upon further inspection, we realized what we had: a circa 1919 image of Illinois State Normal University (ISNU) students protesting for women’s suffrage (see a larger version of this image).
Women had been fighting for the right to vote since the mid-19th century, most notably with the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. For the next several decades, women’s organizations formed across the nation, all demanding the right for women to vote. By 1919, after a number of failures in Congress, the Nineteenth Amendment passed both in the House and the Senate. States began to ratify the amendment, Illinois being the second state to do so. Tennessee was the last of the required 36 state legislatures to pass the amendment, making the Nineteenth Amendment officially part of the constitution on August 18, 1920.
We’re fairly certain the image was taken somewhere between 1917 and 1920 based in large part on the clothing the women in the photograph are wearing. The style of the time tended toward smaller hats that fit close to the head rather than the wide brimmed, decorative hats of the early 20th century. Most women in the image are still wearing long skirts and long sleeves, though there are a couple of women sporting short skirts in the front row. Many of the women had also adopted a short haircut, commonly known as a bob, which became extremely popular in the 1920s.
We also have a pretty good idea of where they are standing. The building in the background of the photo to the left is McCormick Hall. We can tell because of the shape of the roof and the tell-tale round vents above the windows. This would make the building they are standing next to Fell Hall, the women’s dormitory.
This glass negative is part of the larger University Photographic Services Collection that was once run by university photographer Nelson Smith. We suspect that when Smith started the University Photographic Service in 1939, a number of photographs and negatives were donated to him as a way to start the university’s photograph collection. Though not indicated on this piece, records show that a number of glass negatives were given to Smith by a man named Henry Smith (no relation). Besides the name, we know nothing else about the origin of our glass negatives.
If you would like to see this item, other glass negatives, or any of our other historic Illinois State treasures, give us a call at (309) 438-3546 or email us at archives@ilstu.edu and we’ll schedule an appointment.
