Votes For Women Pennant

VOTES FOR WOMEN PENNANT
Women’s Suffrage Collection

Pennant (HxL) 9”x 25 ½”   
Frame: 16 ½” x 32 ¾”
        

Women’s Suffrage Artifacts: private collection consisting of 10 Suffrage items originally owned by nationally distinguished Women’s Rights Activist, Mariwyn Heath (1935-2009). Heath's activism focused nationally on women's issues and the participation of women in the political process.

The highlight of this collection is a framed vintage “Votes For Women” pennant, likely one of its kind; made entirely of felt including the cut-out letters “VOTES FOR WOMEN”, the gold strip is pieced to the upper and lower purple panels by machine zig-zag stitching; pressure mounted on pre-washed 100% cotton fabric over an acid-free backboard, encased with UV protected glass, bordered with a finely detailed, carved vintage wood frame finished in gold. Condition of pennant is very good, colors bold with aging consistent with period, top right purple felt slight material loss, 3 pinholes, zigzag stitch- top left broken chain and area of material loss. The vintage frame is in good condition for its use and period, aged gold color. The pennant’s purple and gold colors, represent the most widely adopted shades used in the Suffrage movement in America.

 The second significant piece is a prestigious Veteran Feminist Medal of Honor; awarded to Mariwyn Heath in 1999. The medal measures apprx. 1 ¾” x 1 5/8”, blue, white and gold enamel Maltese Cross, inner circle depicts four women raising a female gender symbol flagpole, outer circle engraved “Veterans Feminists Medal of Honor”, reverse engraved, "Mariwyn D. Heath, May 9, 1999," © “Meuli & Carabillo, and a red, white and blue striped ribbon. The distinguished medal was kept in the specially handcrafted wooden box.

Also included in this collection: (2) ¾” antique pin buttons publicizing the slogan, "Votes for Women," 1 of which was framed for display in a custom print-based on a 1909 poster. Additionally, silver gelatin press photograph of Mariwyn Heath, on verso- ink stamped Plain Dealer Photo, William G Vorpe April 19, 1976, and newspaper clipping, and 3 vintage suffragette pins; 2 pewter figurines one Betsy Ross (2 ½”) stitching the Stars and Stripes, the other (6”) depicts a suffragette.

Professional Bio
Mariwyn Heath (1935-2009); native of Chicago Il, attended Webster College in St. Louis and the University of Missouri, where she became the first woman to receive a degree in Journalism and shortly thereafter began working as a free-lance speech writer, which led to her lifelong involvement in political campaigns and issues. For several decades, she was actively involved with the Business and Professional Women (BPW) Club and in Theta Sigma Phi, the national journalism honorary society that later became the Association for Women in Communications (WIC). By 1974, Heath's activism was focused nationally on women's issues and the participation of women in the political process.
She was founder of ERAmerica and an active platform speaker and lobbyist of BPW for the ERA in Congress & fifteen states.  She was lead consultant for the ERA in both the Ford & Carter Administrations with an office in Washington DC. Mariwyn was named to the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in 1983 and one of the “10 Outstanding Women of the World”. To honor her lifetime of volunteer work, BPW (National) named its top annual award for Mariwyn D. Heath; “BPW/OHIO is proud to remember this lady as an icon we all work toward.”

Email: jtfrancis.com@gmail.com

Item: 19-21-06