Margaret Haines and her Votes for Women Sash, circa 1914-1916

A sash, a long piece of fabric that drapes from one shoulder to the opposing hip, was the accessory of choice of women in suffrage movement. It enhanced the femininity of women activists and served to reassure detractors and critics who expressed concern that women would become “masculine.” The words “Votes for Women” was one of the most recognizable slogans used by the members of the women’s suffrage movement, who wore sashes to rallies, lectures and parades, asserting their allegiance. This suffrage sash belonged to Newark native, Margaret D. Haines (1884–1966), a member of the Women’s Political Union of New Jersey. You can read more about how the history of the sash has changed over time here.

Rutgers Special Collections and University Archives - Ross-Haines-King Family Papers, MC 929

circa 1914-1916

Tara Maharjan

Margaret D. Haines’s Votes for Women suffrage sash, ca. 1914-–1916.