Pro-choice Protest Pics Please!

April 23, 2006 9:39 AM

I'm trying to find images of feminist protests...

Specifically, I'd like to find pictures of early pro-choice protests and/or Victorian feminist protests. I've Googled and gone through all the feminist sites/zines I can think of, but all I can find are small, blurry, not very good quality pictures. I also need to be able to use the images, as this is for a pro-choice activist blog in a country (Northern Ireland) where abortion is currently illegal (the "theme" is loosely "well, we had to start somewhere", which is why I'm looking for older pictures.) I'd be willing to pay for really good images. Thanks!

posted by speranza to society & culture (10 comments total)

you've probably looked here already, but just in case: 1, 2 at wikimedia.
posted by andrew cooke at 9:58 AM on April 23, 2006

Is something like this and this ok?
there's more like that for that period in a google image search for "suffragettes".

this looks like it might be from the 60's/70's but it's hard to tell with all the retro fashion revivals.

There's some photos on corbis too, just search "feminism". I'm pretty sure there's lots of stuff from the Magnum archives but they don't even allow you to search if you're not a customer and I guess most of the older photos are not searchable online anyway.

There's links to archive photos here but it's all premium content and you need to register (7 day free trial).
posted by funambulist at 10:30 AM on April 23, 2006

Not strictly pro-choice, but a variety of images of women's movement protests from the 60s, 70s. And links to the Chicago Graphics Collective, which has a huge variety of buttons and posters....
http://www.chicanas.com/sjsu/womensmovements.htm
posted by rexruff at 10:44 AM on April 23, 2006

This is one of those times when books are a better tool than the web, if smaller, low-resolution images are a problem. Scan them yourself out of a good feminist history book.
posted by mediareport at 12:01 PM on April 23, 2006

Check out the fantastic book Suffragettes to She-Devils: Women's Liberation & Beyond, by Liz McQuiston. It's primarily a history of feminist protest art, lushly illustrated, but has quite a few protest images included. It should be easy to find at any academic library.
posted by soviet sleepover at 12:28 PM on April 23, 2006

Try using the term "suffragists" too. "Suffragettes" is falling out of favor because of the archaic diminutive "ette" suffix.
posted by Miko at 12:48 PM on April 23, 2006

Here are some from a WITCH protest.
posted by nuclear_soup at 2:00 PM on April 23, 2006

If you are prepared to pay, Getty Images is an excellent source, as they took over the old Hulton Archive. A search for suffragettes, for example, turns up 130 images, including the Pankhursts, various meetings, arrests of suffragettes and so on. I am sure you think of other relevant searches. And good look with your campaign.
posted by TheRaven at 2:03 PM on April 23, 2006

And the term, "abortion rights" was used long before the euphemism of "pro-choice."

In terms of suffrage (we had to get the vote before we could discuss legalized abortion), if you take the in depth tour here you'll get numerous images like these.

Here's another suffrage related link. And of course a google images search comes up with this.

You might find some interesting links at Smith College (a long time women's college).

Though its more recent, this video might be very interesting -- When Abortion Was Illegal: Untold Stories (1992). It's got a creative commons license. Unfortunately the internet archive is often ungodly slow at downloading. Try it at a non-peak time if interested.

Good luck.
posted by bim at 2:10 PM on April 23, 2006

I downloaded that video. It's excellent and discusses the history of abortion rights. It would be well worth a link. Maybe host it somewhere other than the internet archive. Check it out.
posted by bim at 3:11 PM on April 23, 2006