Gilded Suffragists: The New York Socialites Who Fought for Women's Right to Vote

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. From the publisher -

New York City's elite women who turned a feminist cause into a fashionable revolution In the early twentieth century over two hundred of New York's most glamorous socialites joined the suffrage movement. Their names--Astor, Belmont, Rockefeller, Tiffany, Vanderbilt, Whitney and the like--carried enormous public value. These women were the media darlings of their day because of the extravagance of their costume balls and the opulence of the French couture clothes, and they leveraged their social celebrity for political power, turning women's right to vote into a fashionable cause. Although they were dismissed by critics as bored socialites "trying on suffrage as they might the latest couture designs from Paris," these gilded suffragists were at the epicenter of the great reforms known collectively as the Progressive Era. From championing education for women, to pursuing careers, and advocating for the end of marriage, these women were engaged with the swirl of change that swept through the streets of New York City. Johanna Neuman restores these women to their rightful place in the story of women's suffrage. Understanding the need for popular approval for any social change, these socialites used their wealth, power, social connections and style to excite mainstream interest and to diffuse resistance to the cause. In the end, as Neuman says, when change was in the air, these women helped push women's suffrage over the finish line.

I am pressed to name any NYC socialite that does so much for change these days --- Instagram feeds maybe. "Real" housewives? Not at all. The descendants of the families in this book - Astor, Belmont, Rockefeller, Tiffany, Vanderbilt, Whitney et al are still well-known names but they have been replaced by socialites who throw balls and collectively spend more on their gown/hair/makeup/etc. then the balls' final tally of "monies raised". Here is an idea, ladies - sell tickets to stay at home and donate the ticket price and all the frou-frou directly to the charity! Back to the book - ahem. These women are why we can vote today. Why The US had a woman run for president. Why we have a voice in everything from our private lives to political office. We should revere them and learn more about them by reading this book! I had no idea that these women were involved in getting the US the voting rights of women. We were a little earlier than the 19th amendment allowing women to vote in the USA in 1920 in some parts of Canada ... Provincially, women were given the vote in 1916 in the four western provinces, in 1917 in Ontario, in 1918 in Nova Scotia, in 1919 in New Brunswick, in 1922 in Prince Edward Island, and in 1940 in Quebec. 1940!!!!!!!!!

Anyone who is interesting in history would enjoy this book - I certainly did so. (and if your daughter ever says that you are not being fair .. give her this book and let her see what things were like 100 years ago.