ABSTRACT

In October 1911 a cartoon appeared in the pages of the Boston Post (see Figure 8.1). It showed an apparent race between a number of suffragists in one car and candidate for governor of Massachusetts, a Mr. Frothingham, in the other. At one point the women are referred to as shemales by a passing tramp being paid by a shady politico to puncture the womens’ tires. At another point the cartoonist suggests that perhaps the suffrage campaigner and the candidate for governor could get together, seeing as Frothingham is a bachelor. Finally, Frothingham takes to the sky in an airplane to out-pace the chasing suffragists. How might we interpret such a cartoon?