Women & Ecology postcard set, back cover
From Chapter 2
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Drawing on feminist and material rhetorics, the authors of Women Making History demonstrate that, by creating postcards, Helaine Victoria Press aimed to do more than provide a convenient writing surface or even affect collective memory; instead, they argue, the press generated feminist memory. The cards, each with the picture of a woman or group of women from history, were multimodal. Pictures were framed in colors and borders appropriate to the era and subject. Lengthy captions offered details about the lives of the women pictured. Unlike other memorials, the cards were mobile; they traveled through the postal system, viewed along the way by the purchasers, mail sorters, mail carriers, and recipients. Upon arriving at their destinations, cards were often posted on office bulletin boards or refrigerators at home, where surroundings shaped their meanings.
Women Making History shows that Helaine Victoria Press’s cards, like the movement from which they emanated, were dynamic and participatory. They were, in short, a multidirectional, open ended, rhetorically evolving process of transforming feminist consciousness. The print edition includes many images from the press’s records, and the digital edition offers additional images plus audio and video clips from press participants.
This is the first book to demonstrate the relationships between the feminist art movement, the women in print movement, and the scholars studying women’s history. Readers will be drawn to both the large quantity of illustrative materials and the theoretical framework of the book, as it provides an expanded understanding of rhetorical multimodality. Scholars of gender and women’s studies, art history, media studies, and the history of rhetoric, as well as members of the public with interests in feminism, Lesbian feminist culture, postcards, fine letterpress printing, and papermaking will be inspired by this richly produced history.
About the authors
Julia M. Allen is professor emerita of English at Sonoma State University.
Jocelyn H. Cohen is an artist, arborist and co-founder of Helaine Victoria Press, Inc.
The complete manuscript of this work was subjected to a fully closed (“double-blind”) review process. For more information, please see our Peer Review Commitments and Guidelines.
From Chapter 2
“This package Contains Five Cards 1. Hope Sawyer Buyukmihci, Maintains Wildlife Refuge 2. Irene Herlocker, Hoosier Prairie Conservationist 3. “Wild Horse Annie” (Velma Johnston), Mustang & Wild Burro Protectionist 4. Ellen Richards Swallow, Defined a new science and called it “Ecology” 5. Composite of the Above Cards
From Chapter 2
Women and Ecology. The concept that an animal has a definite value in the framework of creation, other than how it serves man, is puzzling to many people. – Hope Ryden. He breaks the wilderness. The land is brought under his control. She makes him rich. She yields. She conceives. He is determined he will master her. What he possesses, he says, is his to use and abandon. – Susan Griffin. Nature fights hourly for the continuity of her vital cycles, under the ceaseless attack of technology and commercial greed. We who care deeply need reminding that even one committed, informed person can bring about a difference that means real hope. And there are others. Please become one of them; please give your active support. – Helaine Victoria Press.
From Resources only
Velma B. ("Wild Horse Annie") Johnston (1912-1977). A leading figure in the animal protection movement, Annie spent her last 25 years crusading to save the free-roaming mustangs and burros on the Western range. Her persuasive reason and documentation resulted in the federal Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971, which declares legal protection and designates these endangered animals as National Heritage Species. Mustangs grazing on public lands have long been the victims of brutal slaughter by ranchers, not only for pet food sales, but now in retaliation for protective legislation. At present an estimated 10,000 mustangs remain. The Grand Canyon National Park Service (exempt from the 1971 law) plans to exterminate the Canyon and Death Valley Park burros. Annie, who became legendary in her own lifetime, has left a spirit inspiring others to work for the preservation of the threatened, a vision of the impossible made possible.
From Resources only
Irene Herlocker (b. 1921). A naturalist and former chemist, she initiated the 10-year effort which saved the Hoosier Prairie in her native Lake County, Indiana. True prairie is natural meadowland never farmed or forested, with many plants and animals which are unique to it. This tiny pocket, 335 acres in the heart of the steel region, is a priceless remnant of the millions of such acres which once covered the midwestern plains. Now a National Natural Landmark, this fragile landscape represents the spirited rescue work of Irene and her late husband Robert, the Hoosier Prairie Committee which she chairs, and countless people and organizations. Bipartisan help came through at every official level, and state and federal funds were obtained for the $1 million purchase price. This tiny oasis amidst big industry is a living example of successful community action on behalf of the environment.
From Resources only
Ellen Swallow Richards (1842-1911). A chemist, she defined the modern study of interaction between organisms in their environments, which she called "Ecology." She was primarily concerned with using science to improve the quality of life in everyday home and work environments. In 1899, she organized the first conference on home economics. Her landmark water purity research was complemented by her analyses of pollution in everything from wallpaper to prepared foods. She formulated the Normal Chlorine Map, the standard map for sanitary surveys. She worked her way through Vassar (MA) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, becoming the first woman graduate of M.I.T. in 1873. In 1884 she was appointed Instructor in Sanitary Chemistry at M.I.T.
From Resources only
Hope Sawyer Buyukmihci (b. 1913) privately maintains the 300-acre Unexpected Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey. She and her husband Cavit obtained the land in 1961 and must patrol constantly to keep out hunters. Hope, a vegetarian who uses no animal products, encourages the return and growth of many now rare indigenous species at the refuge. The beavers who thrive there are the focus of her educational club, the Beaver Defenders. A full-time animal protectionist, she actively opposes all hunting and trapping. She has written 3 books, has a newspaper column, and lectures widely on wildlife. She is among the experts who believe that the great hydraulic engineering skills of beavers would, if permitted, keep all our waterways at proper levels, minimizing flood and drought. They also help prevent forest fires and soil erosion, and their ponds attract and encourage other forms of wildlife.
From Chapter 2
Velma B. (“Wild Horse Annie”) Johnston (1912-1977). A leading figure in the animal protection movement, Annie spent her last 25 years crusading to save the free-roaming mustangs and burros on the Western range. Her persuasive reason and documentation resulted in the federal Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971, which declares legal protection and designates these endangered animals as National Heritage Species. Mustangs grazing on public lands have long been the victims of brutal slaughter by ranchers, not only for pet food sales, but now in retaliation for protective legislation. At present an estimated 10,000 mustangs remain. The Grand Canyon National Park Service (exempt from the 1971 law) plans to exterminate the Canyon and Death Valley Park burros. Annie, who became legendary in her own lifetime, has left a spirit inspiring others to work for the preservation of the threatened, a vision of the impossible made possible.
From Chapter 2
Irene Herlocker (b. 1921). A naturalist and former chemist, she initiated the 10-year effort which saved the Hoosier Prairie in her native Lake County, Indiana. True prairie is natural meadowland never farmed or forested, with many plants and animals which are unique to it. This tiny pocket, 335 acres in the heart of the steel region, is a priceless remnant of the millions of such acres which once covered the midwestern plains. Now a National Natural Landmark, this fragile land-scape represents the spirited rescue work of Page 173 →Irene and her late husband Robert, the Hoosier Prairie Committee which she chairs, and countless people and organizations. Bipartisan help came through at every official level, and state and federal funds were obtained for the $1 million purchase price. This tiny oasis amidst big industry is a living example of successful community action on behalf of the environment.
From Chapter 2
Page 174 →Ellen Swallow Richards (1842-1911). A chemist, she defined the modern study of interaction between organisms in their environments, which she called “Ecology.” She was primarily concerned with using science to improve the quality of life in everyday home and work environments. In 1899, she organized the first conference on home economics. Her landmark water purity research was complemented by her analyses of pollution in everything from wallpaper to prepared foods. She formulated the Normal Chlorine Map, the standard map for sanitary surveys. She worked her way through Vassar (MA) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, becoming the first woman graduate of M.I.T. in 1873. In 1884 she was appointed Instructor in Sanitary Chemistry at M.I.T.
From Chapter 2
Hope Sawyer Buyukmihci (b. 1913) privately maintains the 300-acre Unexpected Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey. She and her husband Cavit obtained the land in 1961 and must patrol constantly to keep out hunters. Hope, a vegetarian who uses no animal products, encourages the return and growth of many now rare indigenous species at the refuge. The beavers who thrive there are the focus of her educational club, the Beaver Defenders. A full-time animal protectionist, she actively opposes all hunting and trapping. She has written 3 books, has a newspaper column, and lectures widely on wildlife. She is among the experts who believe that the great hydraulic engineering skills of beavers would, if permitted, keep all our waterways at proper levels, minimizing flood and drought. They also help prevent forest fires and soil erosion, and their ponds attract and encourage other forms of wildlife.
From Resources only
Bidding you the Joys of Friendship & Love & all life's favors
Each set was assembled into a plastic bag with the eight cards, plus the composite card on top. Jocelyn and Nancy printed a header, showing the title on the front and listing each card on the back, which was folded and stapled to close the packet. The composite postcard for the series served two purposes. The caption explained the meaning of Bread & Roses within the context of the labor movement, and the front image on the set showed each of the eight postcards in the package.
This Package Contains Nine Cards 1. Women’s Trade Union League, ca. 1900 2. Women’s Emergency Brigade, 1937 Auto Strike 3. Workers in “Ideal” Factory, ca. 1912 Page 171 →4. World War II Railroad Workers 5. Lucy Parsons, Early Post-Civil War Labor Organizer and Activist 6. Crystal Lee Jordan Sutton, Textile Organizer of Modern Times 7. Frances Perkins, New Deal Secretary of Labor and First Woman in the Cabinet 8. Rose Schneiderman and Dorothy Bellanca, Early Garment Industry Organizers 9. Composite of Above Eight Cards
From Chapter 2
Bread & Roses is the universally recognized rallying cry of women in the American labor movement. In the late 19th & early 20th centuries, when immigration and industrial mechanization grew at a furious pace, the inhuman exploitation of cheap labor abounded. Women and children had the lowest pay and greatest abuses and were virtually ignored by early trade unions. They realized they must rely on themselves and unify to meet their own special needs. The historic Lawrence, Mass. textile strike of 1912 brought 10,000 men and women workers to the picket lines in an unprecedented show of unity. A contingent of women marched with their banner: “We want Bread & Roses too!”. The slogan caught on instantly and inspired the “Bread & Roses” marching song by James Oppenheim, which is still sung at women’s and workers’ gatherings today.
From Chapter 2
The Women’s Trade Union League (1903-1947) was founded to promote collective bargaining and education (including how to organize) for women wage-earners, who were widely excluded from the men’s unions and paid half or less of their wages. The League worked and demonstrated for better hours, pay, safety, and general conditions, and against child labor, speed-up, and other widespread evils. A unique combination of wealthy women, social and govt. workers, and rank-and-file, it drew on the knowledge, experience, and financial resources of all classes. Many workers had never heard of Page 163 →unions (though their male relatives might belong), knew nothing of laws, and often spoke no English. The WTUL existed to serve them, under such leaders/members as Frances Perkins, Rose Schneiderman, Jane Addams, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
From Chapter 2
The Women’s Emergency Brigade, United Auto Workers Strike, Flint, Mich., 1937. They battled the militia, were gassed as they broke factory windows to get air to their tear-gassed men, and diverted police to a decoy building while another more crucial plant was quietly occupied. 125,000 workers took part in the long sit-down strike that put the UAW on the map. Previously their women co-workers and relatives were only auxiliary members, providing first aid and food. Without previous political or organizing experience, they formed the Brigade, marching in berets and armbands (red for Flint, green for Detroit), linking arms and singing. When not marching and fighting, they worked day and night to provide food, clothes, medical supplies, reading matter, lamps, etc. to strikers. The Brigade was a deciding factor in the historic labor victory. In 1977, they held a 40-year reunion.
From Chapter 2
Glaze-dippers at a Detroit spark plug factory, about 1912. This workroom is highly exceptional for its light, air, space, and cleanliness. This was a time of much publicity and too little action concerning factory conditions. Crusading social workers and Page 164 →government inspectors such as Frances Perkins, Jane Addams, and Florence Kelley exposed a shocking lack of safety from fire, toxins, machinery, and contaminants. Wages were usually below subsistence, with conditions and pay the worst for women and children. Work hazards were a major cause of death and disability. A tiny handful of employers were proud of their “ideal” factories.
From Chapter 2
Trackwomen on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, 1943. The wartime manpower shortage opened more jobs of more kinds to women than ever before. Employers hired Black women, over-35’s, and married women—3 groups previously barred from most offices and industries. About 90% of Black working women were domestics or farm workers before the war, but 18% worked in factories by war’s end, and those on farms were halved. Equal pay and promotions were decreed by new laws, but these were not fully enforced, especially for Blacks and older women. However, wages and opportunities were better than ever before. Peacetime put more than 2 million women in nontraditional jobs out of work, but most found other jobs in the postwar boom, contrary to all predictions—even their own.
From Chapter 2
Lucy Parsons (1853-1942), American free speech and labor leader. A Black with Hispanic and Native American heritage, she was a dramatic speaker, noted equally for Page 165 →her powers of analysis and of voice. She was a central figure in Chicago and the working-class movement nationally, especially after her husband and colleague, Albert, was hanged following the infamous Haymarket “riots” maneuvered by the Chicago police in 1886. She was a founding member of Industrial Workers of the World and one of the original woman members of the Knights of Labor. Variously described as an anarchist and socialist revolutionary, she was mostly remembered as a life, long champion of the hungry, jobless, and foreign born. She spent her life organizing, travelling, writing, and leafletting, giving all she had to her causes for 70 years. When she died in poverty at 89, her large literary and political library was confiscated by the F.B.I. and never released.
From Chapter 2
Crystal Lee Jordan Sutton (b. 1940). Born into a North Carolina weaving family, she became a dynamic organizer of textile workers in the landmark J.P. Stevens unionizing drive of 1973-74, in her native Roanoke Rapids, a “company” town. Textile and clothing is the only basic U.S. industry not fully organized, despite a southern workforce of 700,000. “Brown lung,” deafening noise, and low pay are among the argued issues. The Textile Workers Union of America* targeted Crystal’s town. One night during her shift, she stood up alone to management and went to jail; but TWUA won the subsequent election and a contract. The company still refuses to comply legally, and a widely publicized product boycott continues. *Now the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union.