Silent Sentinels – Persistence Exhibit

Silent Sentinels Bring a Loud Response

Starting in January 1917, women from the NWP picketed the White House almost daily. They stood as “silent sentinels” holding banners. The NWP wanted to highlight what they saw as President Wilson’s hypocrisy. He was fighting for democracy abroad when millions of women at home could not vote. Picketing the White House was very controversial, especially after the United States entered World War I in April 1917. Many Americans thought picketing was unpatriotic. Picketing women were often attacked by soldiers or other onlookers.

In the beginning, the picketers were tolerated, then they got arrested on the charge of obstructing traffic. At first, charges were dismissed, or the jail terms were short. Some jailed women used hunger strikes to protest their heavy punishment and poor treatment. In response, some authorities force-fed some of the women. This drew attention and bad publicity to the situation. That fall, Congress began to move toward voting on a federal amendment, which President Wilson endorsed in January 1918, the day before the House was to vote on it. It passed with the two-thirds majority needed. Many of those in favor of it were from western states. They felt pressure from women in their home states who already had the vote.

FORWARD MOVEMENT 

Sylvie Thygeson

Sylvie Thygeson (1868-1975) came to suffrage through the Woman’s Welfare League, an organization founded in St. Paul in 1912. She was also involved with an early, and illegal, birth control clinic. A lot of her suffrage work happened in small groups, which was also important in building support for the cause. As a member of the Welfare League, Thygeson found her niche talking to women at neighborhood teas.

She saw her work as educating people about suffrage, one-on-one.

Thygeson was the president of the Minnesota Birth Control League in 1916. At that time, it was illegal to share or even possess information about birth control. She and two friends, Alice Bacon and Grace Keller, established a birth control clinic in St. Paul. Looking back on this at age 104, she said that their husbands’ prominence in the community as professional men meant that the authorities would leave them alone.

About the Artist – Lesley Walton

My main focus as an artist is portraiture. With each subject I draw, I strive to bring out each persons’ inner beauty and story. Whether working from life or from photographs of days gone by, my drawings are technically accurate renditions with an emphasis on each individual’s spirit. Though each viewer will feel or take away something different, I hope they will see beyond just a portrait and feel something impactful.

I feel it’s important to pay tribute to these amazing Minnesota women who believed and fought for what was right, despite the many barriers they must have endured.

Upon hearing of this exhibition I instantly knew I wanted to be part of something so important and relevant even yet today. I feel it’s important to pay tribute to these amazing Minnesota women who believed and fought for what was right, despite the many barriers they must have endured. And in today’s political climate women’s rights are still being challenged, this exhibition celebrates 100 years of women’s rights; let’s not erase history and all that these amazing women accomplished throughout the years.

I’m very proud and honored to represent Sylvie Thygeson for this exhibition. I am so impressed with Sylvie, not just because she was an early pioneer in Suffrage with the Women’s Welfare League, founded in St. Paul in 1912—but her fearless commitment to do what was right and impactful for her generation and future generations to come. She defied the law just before 1917 taking on birth control, which at the time was illegal to even discuss. She fought so hard for the Suffrage movement and then risking arrest fought for the right for women to practice birth control. Her story hit me immediately when I realized that this is all being threatened with our current culture and administration—her work and story shouldn’t be lost or forgotten. Oh, and then there is her face, that beautiful face that spoke to me. I hope my art conveys her spirit through every pencil stroke used to draw her beauty shaped by over 100 meaningful years of life.

Artist’s Bio

Lesley Walton is an artist living and working in St. Paul, MN who specializes in drawings and paintings. Her focus is creating portraiture that allows her to express her love of people and their character seen through a single expression.Lesley’s graphite pencil portraits are drawn not only to provide an accurate rendition of each subject—but to also capture their spirit and soul. Her paintings are colorful, fun, and bold concentrating on nostalgic times.

Lesley reinvents black and white snapshots from years past with colors that make each personality come to life as she sees them.

Lesley attended the Cleveland Institute of Art while living in Ohio—concentrating on painting, drawing, and silversmithing. Her work has won numerous awards and has been featured in multiple publications including The New Creative Artist, a book by Nita Leland, and the May 2014 issue of Minnesota Women’s Press magazine that not only highlighted her work on the cover, but also included an artist interview with Lesley.