A Critical Analysis of Canadian Women’s Suffrage Cartoons

Grade 12 – Canada: History, Identity and Culture (CH14U)

Overview

This lesson is an opportunity for students to extract information from primary documents in order to critically examine a historical event. It is important for students to use various resources when studying a historical event. This lesson will use Newton McConnell’s cartoons published in the Toronto Daily News from 1905-1914. Using Newton McConnell’s cartoons to examine various perspectives on women’s suffrage is a tangible way for the students to experience the sentiments of the time.

The primary source documents are based on a series of political cartoons drawn by E. Newton ("Newt") McConnell. McConnell (1877 - 1940), born in Lakeside, Elgin Country (Ontario), was a graduate of the Ontario College of Art (1900). He worked for Saturday Night Magazine and a humour magazine called The Moon. He then went on to work for the Toronto Daily News for 26 years, 15 of them as a political cartoonist.

The topics he drew about ranged from Toronto politics to federal politics to international affairs, and his cartoons often represented the worries of the Canadian nation. McConnell himself was concerned with the changing relationship between Canada, the British Empire, and the United States. A trademark of his cartoons is a small dog named "Spot", who is often found peering around corners or involved directly in the fray.

McConnell also has a published volume of caricatures based on well-known figures of his day, entitled "McConnell's Vanity Fair: A Portfolio of Caricatures." This volume, along with over 1,000 of his political cartoons, is available at the Archives of Ontario. His work has been reproduced extensively in Canada, Britain, and the United States.

Purpose

Students will critically examine two Newton McConnell cartoons, from 1905-1914, that address women’s suffrage.

Strand: Canada: History, Identity and Culture

Author: Ashley Kinghan