Women’s Suffrage Silk Banner  “We Work for Justice”
Vermont, 1920 - 42 x 29 inches
 
A silk suffrage banner boldly inscribed “We Work for Justice,” produced during the final phase of the American women’s suffrage movement. Executed in black lettering against an orange field, the banner’s scale and clarity reflect its intended use in public demonstrations, where such textiles served as highly visible expressions of political advocacy and collective identity.
 
Dated to 1920, the banner corresponds with the climactic year of the campaign that secured ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, granting women the right to vote. In Vermont, suffrage activism had long been sustained, with advocates pressing for full enfranchisement despite earlier legislative resistance; the state ultimately ratified the amendment in February 1921. Textile banners of this type played a central role in suffrage parades, rallies, and organizational gatherings, where bold slogans conveyed the movement’s appeals to justice and civic equality. The banner descends in a Vermont family, reinforcing its connection to the state’s suffrage movement.
 
Condition: Fine, with minor splits, areas of loss, and separations to the central orange silk panel. The borders and tassels remain in extremely fine condition. The obverse exhibits several splits ranging from under 1 inch to approximately 2 inches, together with areas of loss and sections where the stitching has separated along the edge, including a larger separation along the lower right curve measuring approximately 8 inches and several smaller separations near the upper edge measuring roughly 3 inches. The original interior lining remains intact and continues to provide structural support. A more pronounced split is visible across the center of the reverse. Despite these condition issues, typical of large early twentieth-century silk political banners, the piece remains stable for mounting and framing and retains strong, vibrant color throughout.