Ida B. Wells at 1913 Suffrage Parade

What it is

This is a black-and-white newspaper photograph published in the Chicago Daily Tribune in May 1913. It shows women wearing sashes at a suffrage parade in Washington, with a banner reading 'Illinois'. The caption names Virginia Brooks, Mrs. Belle Squire, and Mrs. Ida Wells Barnett.

Why it matters

Ida B. Wells was already a famous anti-lynching journalist by 1913, and she was also active in the women's suffrage movement. This image documents her presence at a major suffrage demonstration, a moment when she reportedly resisted being segregated to the back of the march. The photo shows how Black women's participation in the suffrage movement was recorded, but also how it was often described only briefly next to white organizers.

Look closer

• Who is named first and last in the caption, and what might that tell you about the newspaper's priorities?
• What does the banner and the sashes tell you about the purpose of the parade?
• Why might a photograph like this be an important record of Black women's role in the suffrage movement?