In earlier posts we saw how the Victorian’s viewed pet
cats as overtly female - and this wasn’t a good thing. For a start, the
Victorian’s used the link in a negative way by implying both cats and women were promiscuous
with a natural inclination to low morals, and therefore in need of a firm male
hand for their own good.
The independent nature of cats was another negative
point against them. A good wife and mother was obedient to her husband, and her
purpose in life was to please her husband (qualities more associated with dogs
than cats).
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| A hard-done-by husband struggling to cope at home, whilst his suffragette wife is out. Note the scalded cat under the table |
Therefore what better way to discredit the growing women’s
suffrage movement than to use propaganda images of cats? Linking women to cats
in such an obvious way sounded a warning shot across the bows of early female
emancipation, subtly linking independence with promiscuity, and making the
former seem less desirable.
In the mid to late 19th century women
fought for the right to vote in public elections. Prior to this they had no
political rights and were not allowed to vote in elections. This was because
husband’s looked after their women, freeing them from the need to worry about
political matters so they could concentrate on rearing children and keeping their
husbands happy.
However, since the industrial revolution many women now worked full-time, and the inequality of their lives became
increasingly difficult to ignore. Incensed by their lack of rights, women organized
themselves into groups to campaign for the right to vote. As you can imagine,
their menfolk were less than thrilled and felt threatened by their women
wanting to be more independent.
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| You couldn't be both feminine and a suffragette. Being a suffragette changed you into a hissing spitting monster |
In the 19th century, women Suffragists worked towards 'The Cause', which was a general movement to improve women's rights. Originally apolitical, as time passed the idea of 'Votes for Women' took shape and became a focal point. At first the suffragists campaigned using entirely peaceful means, but by the early 1900s a breakaway movement led by Emmeline Pankhurst became impatient with the slow progress and became increasingly militant.
By 1912 their motto was “Deeds not words” and these
new suffragettes were prepared to go on hunger strike and use violence to draw
attention to their cause. All of which left male politicians with the problem
of how to handle this political insurrection. One tactic was to discredit the
suffragettes, and for that they used images of cats.
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| A fat conceited cat making a fool of herself by demanding a vote |
Postcards were circulated showing images of hissing,
spitting cats, sending a message that femininity had gone terribly wrong. Other
images, showing an angry cat holding a placard saying “Down with the Tom Cats”,
which implied men had better watch out if women got the vote.
Another image showed a fat, ugly cat dressed in a
suffragette’s sash, lecturing a room full of toys. The message being that the
cat is self-important and engaging in a childish fantasy.
By 1914 the suffragettes learnt to fight fire with
fire. They created the powerful “Cat and mouse” poster, in response to the Prisoner’s
Temporary Discharge Act (April 1913)-also known as the “Cat and mouse” act. The
government used this law to release women on hunger strike from prison, only to
have them re-arrested once they had gained weight and health back at home.
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| The suffragettes turned male/ female iconography on its head, to great effect |
The “cat and mouse” poster reversed traditional roles,
and had men play the part of a cold-blooded killer (the cat) preying upon the defenseless
mouse (the woman). As a propaganda poster it made a huge impact, largely
because it reversed the imagery associated with men and women.
In Britain, women over 30 gained the right to vote in
1918.
