An Anti-Women’s Suffrage Book for Children: Votes for Catharine Susan and Me by Kathleen Ainslie
Cover of Votes for Catharine Susan and Me, Kathleen Ainslie (1910).
Take a break from coverage of the US presidential election and have a look at the most unusual book in our recent children’s literature catalogue, the story of two wooden dolls who join the British women’s suffrage movement.
Votes for Catharine Susan and Me (UPDATE BOOK SOLD) was published in London in 1910, during the most fraught period of the suffrage movement. The first female suffrage bill had gone before Parliament in 1870, and when it was voted down in 1897 a number of organisations consolidated to form the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), which campaigned peacefully. But the continuing lack of progress, especially compared with New Zealand and Australia, convinced some activists that a militant approach was required. In 1903 the Women’s Social and Political Union broke from NUWSS and began a campaign of increasingly violent protests. Activists chained themselves to railings, interrupted speeches and Parliamentary proceedings, committed arson, and destroyed property. Suffragettes faced police brutality, and those in prison were violently force-fed when they participated in hunger strikes. Their actions, and the response of the government, divided the nation.
Such a fraught political cause might seem an unusual subject for author Kathleen Ainslee, who wrote and illustrated irreverent books about a pair of mischievous wooden dolls (she was inspired by Florence Kate Upton, who wrote the Golliwogg books). But the infantilisation of women has long been used as a barrier to equal rights, and a picture book depicting suffragettes as naughty children’s toys could be an excellent propaganda tool and warning to children. In Ainslee’s plot the activists encourage the rudderless and rather vacant young protagonists to misbehave, with comic results leading to an unfortunate lesson at the conclusion, which I won’t spoil.
The characters, who look unusual and appear to have blades for arms, are based on a real type of wooden doll that was popular during the 19th and early 20th centuries – the Dutch peg doll. The arms are probably tapered so that sleeves of the doll’s clothing could be gotten on and off easily. The complete book is below, just click to enlarge the images.
Catharine Susan and Me hadn’t anything much to do, so when she kept on screaming “come and join us” – we comed and joined –
And she said “All men was cruel and wicked and we must have votes and turn them out” – So they drew lots who should go and tell them. Catharine Susan and me got the shortest straws –
They wouldn’t let us go in – But we had a splendid fight outside – – –
Then we had an awfully good idea – –
They were dum-found-dead!
Of course the brutes came after us – but they had a nice lot of trouble.
I think –
We stole Mr. Codfish’s lovely “Pinionette” and the others came too.
And just as Catharine Susan was going to drop the paper into the motor of the Head Man she fell out – – –
and us too – – –
“Lock us up? No you shan’t – – –!!! Put me down! I tell you – How dare you carry me like this – – – – – – yah!!!!!
Take it away! – – –
Take it away! – – –
But oh! We got most awfully tired of it presently – – –
But we cheered up when the Home Secretary and the Governor came to see us. And when they said “Will you go home quietly”? we said “YES” –
and we did.
Additional Links:
- Explore the Women’s Library, which has one of the world’s best collections of women’s history material.
- Learn about the history of the suffrage campaign at the British Library, and see some of the UK’s earliest surveillance photographs, taken by Scotland Yard detectives investigating activists.
- From BuzzFeed, a selection of anti-suffrage propaganda (though I wish they had provided links to the sources).
- Click here for our complete stock of children’s books and here for our books related to feminism.
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