Automobile

15644 — Early Women's Liberation and the Automobile in the Age of Suffrage. Collection of 4 pieces tracing the new path to independence gained by women with the invention of the automobile. Coming of age at the same time as the suffrage movement was reaching full swing the new technology offered by the automobile allowed women not only a newfound sense of freedom but the ability to travel unimpeded to demonstrate mastery of a new technology and even opened careers in mobility. This collection's vintage pieces include rare printed material on women and the automobile a signed license letters and photos from women who drove right over gender barriers explore the new world opening to women in the 20th century. <br/><br/>Leading up to the 20th century automobiles became a symbol of women's increasing social mobility and financial independence. Car makers and dealers realized that a significant number of women wanted and were capable of purchasing their own cars; and so they developed vehicles and marketing campaigns specifically for the female population. This collection's early 1913 brochure "To the American Woman" represents this trend and it declares that "the automobile . is of the greatest use to the woman.because of the importance of her work a woman's need for saving time and effort is imperative." The car saved wives and mothers time as they executed familial duties. It also provided some single women with independent incomes. As young women purchased their own vehicles some used the technology to support themselves by becoming mechanics and chauffeurs. These women are represented in this collection by a 1923 "Motor Magazine" with coverage on women car owners a vintage photo of the first woman to motor from Africa to London and an original 1929 Professional Chauffeur's License for Vivian Pickard. Pioneering women like those in this collection overcame gender barriers by increasing their mobility taking advantage of opportunities for mechanical and technical education thus opening new possibilities for women in transportation technology. unknown books