About the Project
The National Woman's Party Digital Collection is a digital initiative of the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum, in partnership with IBM, to preserve and provide access to the National Woman's Party (NWP) collection.
The images available offer a unique look at the influential lobbying strategies of one of the most influential organizations during the suffrage and equal rights movements. The depth and diversity of the collection demonstrate how the records, artifacts, and images of the past influence and form the ideas of the present.
The Sewall-Belmont House and Museum launched the Digital Collection on March 3, 2006 with a preview of a new searchable collection database containing over 400 images.
The images selected showcase the depth of the NWP collection housed at the Museum. Examples include:
- Banners and sashes used in picketing and parades.
- Photographs documenting the events and members of the NWP, their participation in the suffrage movement, and their efforts to pass Equal Rights Amendment in states across the country.
- Covers of the NWP newspaper, The Suffragist (1913-1921), and its later title, Equal Rights (1923-1953).
- Original cartoon drawings by artist and NWP Official Cartoonist Nina Allender.
- Original artifacts on exhibit at the Museum such as the Jailhouse Door pin and the key to the District of Columbia prison where the women were held during the suffrage movement.
The digital imaging department is adding new images to the digital collection on a regular basis with the goal of digitizing the majority of the NWP collection (over 10,000 items).
Through online exhibits, educational outreach, lesson plans, and other resources, the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum will help communities and schools learn about, celebrate and share this important part of women's history.
For further information on the technical aspects of the project click here.