For my period-accurate project, I did an American suffragette postcard. Before deciding on my exact plot and prop, I knew I wanted to set it during the American suffrage movement. So I read a book about it called 'Women’s suffrage: a primary source history of the women’s rights movement in America' which is where I found out about the suffrage newspaper, bits of memorabilia, and the main timeline of events. I decided to set in 1915 in New York as there was a big march in NYC that year and it was just a couple of years before New York state gave them the vote in 1917. My mini script was as follows:
Set in 1915, New York State. It is about a woman who is involved in the suffrage movement but keeps it a secret from her husband, as he would not approve. She keeps all memorabilia and paperwork from the cause (including a postcard with a coded message about a meeting to do with the 1915 march in NYC from a fellow sister in arms) in a hollowed-out book. She hides the book in a book cabinet in the study. One night her husband discovers the book’s hidden content when taking the book out and accidentally drops it on the floor to reveal everything…
Originally when approaching what prop to do I wanted to do the hollowed book or a pin from the time but it was decided that the book would be too time-consuming for the project timeline and that a pin such as the one I intended to make would probably be made by a specialist rather than a member of the art department. As a result of this, a postcard was deemed as the most appropriate choice for this project as postcards came up in my research as a form of memorabilia. It was the golden age of Postcards and they were iconic at the time.
When breaking down my research, I divided it into factors: postcard design, stamp, card material, handwriting, and content.
When researching postcard design I found it intriguing as I found more postcards that were anti the movement rather than for. I guess it is odd to think that a majority at one point was against women having the vote I knew was true but I had never really seen physical evidence of this which was proven in my research. I selected this design as I loved how it looked gentle and very feminine in juxtaposition with the strong cause it represents.
When discovering what stamp to use, I went to Nottingham Stamp Centre Ltd to further my research. There I was given the type of stamp used in the era and location. He also showed me postcards from the time and told me about what postal markings would have been used. I was very kindly given two stamps for free. I selected the stamp with the easiest additional ink stamp as I needed to replicate the rest of this marking onto the back of the postcard in photoshop.
To determine the correct card thickness and finish, I went to a vintage store to look at the type of card that was used during the period with postcards. There I found these postcards which I bought to compare with different types of cards in Bonnington.
When researching then I listened to a podcast with Sylvia Kessler (a handwriting expert) about graphology (handwriting) and learned that the form of handwriting that would have been used was the Palmer method. I then refined my handwriting by practicing a lot with a calligraphy pen. I had never used a calligraphy pen before and so my original attempts were abysmal but with practice, it got better.
Lastly, I concluded my research by listening to another podcast about the history of postcards, I discovered that 3-4 people in the postal services would probably read the context of the postcard. As I wanted to include a message about a meeting there, I did not want it to be clear. This led me into researching how people used to discourage others from reading it e.g. mirror writing, shorthand, and numbered code. I decided to use numbered code to disguise my message.
With a combination of all these factors, I was able to produce my final period-accurate graphic. I had never done so much research for a single prop and I enjoyed the research process and making of the prop. Along with the prop, also I had to do a visual. I chose to capture the moment when the husband discovers the hidden memorabilia scattered across the floor. Because I wanted to show the floor I used a high angle shot and the use of light from the fireplace gave off a film noir vibe which was not intentional but effective. I used photo bashing when creating this visual and was very pleased with it. When receiving feedback it was suggested that the light coming from the fire needed to be less harsh on the lines which I agree with. It was also suggested to finish the edge of the postcard with a crimple to make it appear more feminine which I also thought could be an intriguing and dramatic addition to the prop. Lastly, it was suggested that the prop was too clean and needed to be roughed up a bit through the tea method. It did look too pristine. Overall I am very pleased with how this project went and fully support the changes or considerations that need to be made in a pre-portfolio submission.
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