Palczewski Suffrage Postcard Archive

Please cite as follows: Palczewski, Catherine H. Suffrage Postcard Archive. University of Northern Iowa. Cedar Falls, IA. Ordering Information: Contact Catherine Palczewski at catherine.palczewski@uni.edu for permission requests and to order high resolution digital copies. Fees will be attached if the image is intended for commercial use..

This website provides a virtual tour of an archive of suffrage postcards and other related materials gathered by Catherine Palczewski, Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Northern Iowa. It is meant to provide a resource for scholars researching the visual images associated with the struggle for woman suffrage in both the United States and Great Britain. These images have been collected by Catherine Palczewski and her partner, Arnie Madsen, PhD, over the last 15 years. Feel free to use these images for non-commercial purposes, but please remember to provide attribution by indicating where you found these images. High resolution digital copies of the images can be purchased by using the "Ordering Info" button located on each image page.

Although we now think of postcards as mass-produced slips of paper (festively decorated with generic images or off-color jokes) to be sent to family and friends from vacation destinations, the social import of postcards during their “Golden Age” (1893-1918) rivals the power of the Internet in contemporary times. The postcard industry was technologically and artistically prepared to play a part in the 1908 presidential election, with postcards reaching the height of their popularity during that campaign. Although it would be impossible to quantify their direct effect on the election, postcards “offer a vivid chronicle of American political values and tastes.” More information can be found in the Postcard History document.